Senior guard David Buh believes all eyes for Benet are on the bigger picture.
The Redwings maintained their focus Friday night, even after trailing by nine points with three minutes left in regulation against East Suburban Catholic rival Marist.
Benet ended up pulling off the upset in overtime, prevailing 69-63. It gives the Redwings another signature win to go along with their Nov. 25 victory over Fenwick.
“Obviously, it helps our confidence going forward,” Buh said of beating Marist. “We want to be playing our best basketball in March.”
Buh made sure Benet (15-4, 3-1) marched to its sixth straight win, hitting a game-tying 3-pointer from the left corner with three seconds left in the fourth quarter. He finished with 23 points.
The Redwings are in a two-way tie for second place in conference with Marist heading into Friday’s game against Nazareth.
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“We just worked our way back into it,” Benet coach Gene Heidkamp said. “The kids kept believing, and we made some really good decisions with the ball down the stretch.
“Even if that shot (Buh’s 3-pointer) hadn’t gone in, I’d have been proud of the guys staying with it and giving themselves a chance.”
The Redwings also received 16 points from sophomore center Colin Crothers and 12 from Jacob Petrovic.
More improvement is essential for the Redwings, according to Heidkamp.
“The team is still a work in progress,” he said. “But we’re playing with a little more consistency.”
Consistency has been a key for Benet, which sits five victories away from a ninth straight 20-win season.
Step-up day: Senior guard Jared McIntyre knew what he was getting into at Naperville North. The Proviso East transfer jumped aboard a team with bigger expectations after the Huskies won a sectional last season.
“It was a real good transition,” McIntyre said. “The team was real welcoming, so I fit in real well. It’s just we work hard every day. Chemistry, on and off the court, just continues to get better.”
Naperville North (15-2, 7-1) lost several perimeter players to graduation, creating an opening for the 5-foot-10 McIntyre. He’s averaging 3.1 points.
He came up big in Friday’s win over Waubonsie Valley with two 3-pointers in the second half. He followed that up Saturday with a season-high 13 points in a 39-36 loss at Wheaton Warrenville South.
“I just wanted to come in and learn my role,” McIntyre said. “Succeed wherever the team needed it and do it well.”
Youth served: While seniors Ben Wolf and Tyler O’Brien have done the heavy lifting for Naperville Central, the Redhawks also have relied on three sophomores.
Coach Pete Kramer continues to find ways to insert forwards Chris Conway and Mekhi Robinson into the lineup. Guard Cam Dougherty has been a starter from the beginning.
Dougherty scored a season-high 17 points in Friday’s win over Wheaton North. He’s averaging six points for the Redhawks (15-5, 6-2).
Last season, Doughtery was brought up for the regional. That has eased the transition.
“I think the learning curve this year is just playing well for longer periods of time because I’m going to be on the floor for longer periods of time,” Dougherty said. “I have to lock in the whole time.”
Blake Baumgartner is a freelance reporter for the Naperville Sun. Mike Clark contributed to this story.