By Bobby Narang
The Martin Luther King (MLK) holiday weekend featured some quality girls high school basketball in Chicagoland.
The 33rd Annual Coach Derril Kipp’s Hoopfest was the marquee event. Played over a three-day span, with two days dedicated to the tournament, the high-profile event was must-see basketball with high level competition and an abundance of college coaches from throughout the Midwest in attendance.
Host Benet Academy in Lisle suffered a 64-61 defeat to Noblesville, Ind. Monday in the main gym. Samantha Trimberger made all 11 of her shots to keep Benet in the game. She finished with 22 points and five rebounds. Benet star point-guard Lenee Beaumont, an Indiana University signee, collected 24 points, seven rebounds, and seven assists.
Noblesville, Ind. defending State high school champion, lived up to its lofty ranking behind a sterling effort from Reagan Wilson. The highly-recruited junior point-guard scored a game-high 31 points, including her team’s final seven points.
“It was really exciting and not many teams get to be in this environment,” Benet’s Beaumont said. “Reagan Wilson is a great player. She did her thing today. It was nice to see (Samantha) have a great game. I’m sure she’s going to have several phone calls (from college scouts) after today. If she wants to play basketball, she will be a great player for whoever wants her. She did amazing today.”
Benet head coach Joe Kilbride praised the effort of his players, noting the hard-fought game will help his team get ready for the Class 4A State tournament playoffs. The Redwings are one of the top teams in the State.
“I was very pleased with our effort and this was the best we’ve played in a month,” Kilbride said. “Reagan had a great game. She made some tough shots. I thought we gave a great effort. We had our chances. I was very pleased with our competitive effort. Sam played great today.”
Ironically, with college coaches from numerous conferences and levels in attendance, Benet’s Trimberger said she doesn’t plan on playing in college. She made a big impression, though.
“It definitely took the pressure off since I’m not looking to play, or looking for any college coaches or anything,” Trimberger said. “I’m pleased how all of us played because we played with such great energy. It’s a bonus that all my shots were going in today. That helped with energy and on defense.
“I’ve been playing basketball since kindergarten or whenever, but I’ve decided this is the time to end my story.”