All season long, David Buh has let the game come to him.
That’s why the senior forward wasn’t worried about being scoreless 12 minutes and 26 seconds into Friday night’s outing against Joliet Catholic.
Buh’s take-charge mentality on senior night ended up being the difference as the Redwings rolled to a 53-31 East Suburban Catholic victory.
Benet (20-4, 6-1) won for the 11th straight time as Buh scored 14 of his game-high 16 points in the second half.
“Obviously I always have confidence in the team throughout the game,” said Buh, who finally scored with 3:34 left in the first half. “And we felt that if we just kept playing, kept being aggressive, that good things would happen in the later parts of the game.”
Sophomore center Colin Crothers was the only other player for Benet to reach double figures with 10 points. He also had seven rebounds.
The 6-foot-8 Crothers certainly wasn’t surprised at what the 6-4 Buh accomplished.
“I think, especially on his senior night, he wanted to do anything he could to help win,” Crothers said. “We all respect him as a player and as a guy outside the team, too. So we all wanted to get a big win for all the seniors.”
The Redwings took a 20-15 halftime lead and turned it into a 38-27 advantage after three quarters behind nine points from Buh.
Senior guards Ben Cooney and Connor Reid combined for 13 points for Benet while contributing strong defense.
Benet coach Gene Heidkamp continued to praise Cooney’s defensive acumen. Cooney delivered seven steals to help the Redwings keep the Hilltoppers (7-19, 1-7) at bay.
“I just try to do whatever to help the team,” Cooney said. “I’m not the most skilled offensively. I try to pack it on defense and get some stops, so we can get our guys going on offense and make some plays.”
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Five different players scored the first five baskets as Benet took an 11-4 lead after one quarter. The Redwings used that type of balance to boost their edge to 20-7 in the second quarter.
All told, seven players scored for Benet in the first half, led by Jake Ronneberg’s five points.
“I think it just shows the unselfishness of the guys and the fact that we have some balance,” Heidkamp said. “We think it’s a fairly balanced team and I think everybody has kind of grown into their roles and done a good job of putting everything together.
“Those guys really play well together and there’s a little bit of cohesiveness now. That’s just something that’s been nice to see as the season’s progressed.”
Blake Baumgartner is a freelance reporter for the Naperville Sun