By Bobby Narang
Benet Academy High School boys basketball head coach Gene Heidkamp made sure to take his time walking off the court Friday.
The Redwings were one of the small group of boys and girls basketball teams to finish the truncated 2021 season March 12. The official end of the season was March 13.
The Redwings closed out the season with a 38-33 defeat to host Timothy Christian in a non-conference game. The Redwings, 10-4, were limited to four points in the fourth quarter. As the Benet players and assistant coach shuffled off the court, Heidkamp slowly gathered his belongings in the Elmhurst gymnasium.
“It’s been a really good season for us, but this is a tough way to end,” Heidkamp said. “I give a lot of credit to Timothy Christian. We really struggled from the field and shooting. But I credit their defense a lot.”
For Heidkamp, the Class of 2021 at the school in Lisle, will hold a special place in his heart due to the commitment the group showed, particularly dealing with the heartbreak of not finishing its Class 3A State run last season and playing without a State tournament this season. The season was cut short last year following the March 11 games. His seniors never tested themselves fully in the playoffs in their final two seasons. Their sectional semifinal against Hinsdale South March 12 was canceled before tip off last season because of the State concern over the spread of COVID-19.
“The seniors have been great,” Heidkamp said. “It’s been tough for everybody involved. The seniors never quit, and had a very good year. We finished in second place in the East Suburban Catholic. )See final standings on page 11.) We played very well and I’m proud of the kids in how they played this year. They went through a lot, battled, and gave everything they had all the time. I’ll always be very appreciative of everything they gave.”
• Meanwhile, Timothy Christian concluded a tough two-day segment to end the season by beating Riverside-Brookfield, 62-56, March 13. With the victory, Timothy Christian, 14-2, captured the Metro Suburban Conference championship, which helped to take the sting out of not playing in the Class 2A State tournament last season in Peoria.
“It’s ironic the way the season laid out,” Timothy Christian head coach Scott Plaisier said. “We were able to kind of have a postseason in a time where there’s no postseason. It’s scripted pretty well, to play Benet on senior night and then turn around and play Riverside-Brookfield for the conference championship.
“I feel like our senior group deserved that, especially after some of the things they lost out on last year. It’s a special group. They have won a ton of basketball games in their time here.”