By Bobby Narang
A Benet Academy basketball program took over state – again.
For the second weekend in a row, in the Class 4A State tournament, the Redwings worked their way to the State championship game.
March 4, the Benet girls basketball team lost in double overtime in the 4A final to O’Fallon to falling short of winning the program’s third State championship.
One week later, at the State Farm Center on the campus of the University of Illinois, the Benet boys team advanced to the State championship game. The Redwings suffered a tough defeat by losing to Moline, 59-42, Saturday night, March 11.
The Redwings, led by Brayden Fagbemi, Brady Kunka, and Niko Abusara, couldn’t stop Moline senior guard, Brock Harding. The University of Iowa recruit scored 17 of his 28 points in the first half to power the Maroons (35-3) to their first State championship. The Maroons had not played in a State championship game since 1951.
“It still doesn’t feel real,” Harding said. “People told me teams from Chicago or the ‘burbs’ win it. We came here and shut them up.”
Fellow University of Iowa basketball recruit, Owen Freeman, finished with six points and nine rebounds for Moline.
Benet Academy (35-2) couldn’t recover from a five-point third quarter, plus sorely missed Brady Kunka, who suffered a serious ankle injury in Friday’s semifinal victory over New Trier and only played briefly in the State championship game. Kunka, the leading scorer for Benet, entered the game late in the fourth quarter with the outcome decided.
The Redwings shot three-for-12 on three-pointers. Benet, which had won 19 straight games entering the State championship game, were led in scoring by Fagbemi and Andy Nash, each scoring 12 points. Abusara added 10 points and five rebounds.
Benet head coach Gene Heidkamp said the State-champioinship game loss doesn’t tarnish one of the best seasons in program history.
“I thank these kids because they gave us an unbelievable season,” he said. “I’m not sure what the expectations were going into the year, but they easily surpassed them. It’s a real credit to all the guys in the locker room. They’re hurting right now, but they lost to a great team.
“(Moline) controlled it more than it got away from us. My hat is off to them, it was a well-executed game plan.”
The Redwings finished in second place at State in 2014 and in 2016 under Heidkamp, losing to Chicago Young in 2014 and to Chicago Curie in 2016.