Notre Dame found itself in search of offensive answers on Thursday night.
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Playing for the first time in eight days and just the second time in 2016 is a perfectly good excuse for being out of sync.
Benet makes most teams look that way, though, so it was hard not to chalk it up to good old-fashioned defense.
Throw in a 3-point explosion on the other end, and No. 12 Benet had a lot to like about its 62-45 victory over the No. 13 Dons in an important East Suburban Catholic matchup in Lisle.
Liam Lyman scored a career-high 19 points and had five of Benet’s seven second-half 3-pointers, fellow junior Jack Nolan added 16 points, and the Redwings (13-2, 2-1) drained 10 3-pointers to remain a game off the pace in the ESCC.
Neither Lyman nor Nolan are among the Redwings’ top three scorers this season.
“What’s awesome is we throw five, six guys out there who can really score,” Lyman said. “It was my teammates getting me the ball, making the extra pass. Our team moves the ball so well.”
After taking a four-point lead into halftime on a 3-pointer by James Dockery at the buzzer, Benet played what coach Gene Heidkamp called one of its best quarters of the season. The Redwings scored 22 points, allowed nine and extended its advantage to 49-32 heading into the fourth.
Lyman hit three 3s and Nolan scored seven points in the quarter as the game took a surprisingly lopsided turn against the Dons (11-4, 1-2).
“It translated over from defense,” Nolan said. “We shot in the flow and the offense started clicking. Get in the flow of the offense and knock down shots. That’s all there is to it.
“This is big. Not many teams win the conference with two losses, so we knew we had to buckle down and get this one.”
Mike Helfgot is a freelance reporter for the baiduhai.
Player of the game: Liam Lyman, Benet, 19 points, 5 3-pointers
Key performers: Benet — Jack Nolan, 16 points; Dan Sobolewski, 9 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals. Notre Dame — Ammar Becar, 13 points