Unbeaten Benet basketball polishes resume with Proviso West title in Illinois

Tyrone Sherman of Homewood-Flossmoor saw the opening. He turned up his speed and dribbled toward the basket for what appeared to be a layup and a tie score at championship time.

Suddenly, a huge arm came up from Sherman‘s right side. The shot was blocked. Rejection. Game over.

If you‘re looking for the big-play potential of University of Wisconsin recruit Frank Kaminsky of Benet Academy, then look no further than this play. Kaminsky‘s block, with 11 seconds left in overtime in the championship game of the Proviso West Tournament, led the way to Benet‘s 54-50 win over Homewood-Flossmoor. After Kaminsky‘s block and a foul, Benet turned a two-point margin into four with two free throws by Matt Parisi.

Kaminsky, who stands nearly 7 feet tall, combined with Northwestern recruit and Proviso West Tournament MVP David Sobolewski to give Benet a coveted Proviso West title in the school‘s first appearance in the tournament. Sobolewski, a senior guard, scored the only basket in overtime and wound up with 19 points. Kaminsky played in the title game despite battling an ankle injury. He scored 12 points, and had nine rebounds and a pair of blocked shots.



"His presence for us down there, whether he's altering shots or blocking them, is huge," Parisi told the Chicago Tribune.

Benet, a private Catholic school, has won its first 14 games and has emerged as one of the best teams in basketball-rich Chicagoland. The Redwings bounce back into East Suburban Catholic Conference play Friday, when they play host to Joliet Catholic Academy.

5 BIG PERFORMANCES
* Tournament MVP Brian Greene Jr. of Thornton scored 22 points, helping the Wildcats to a 57-55 title-game win over Crete-Monee in the McDipper Tournament played in Richton Park, south of Chicago. "(Brian) played out of his mind. He grew up and matured, and is definitely a Division I prospect," Thornton coach Troy Jackson told Sun-Times Media. Greene is receiving recruiting interest from Wright State, the University of Illinois-Chicago, Chicago State and Valparaiso, among others.

* Louisville recruit Wayne Blackshear scored a double-double in Chicago Morgan Park's 73-51 Chicago Public League win over Gage Park. He scored 31 points and grabbed 11 rebounds for the Mustangs (8-1).

* Kyra Navarette scored a game-high 23 points, leading Fenwick (Oak Park) to a 65-47 win over previously unbeaten Bartlett in the championship game of the Charger Classic played at Dundee-Crown High School. Both teams are 15-1.

* Highland Park's Briana Collier scored 17 points and had 12 rebounds in the Giants' 46-43 win over Farragut (Tenn.) in the championship game of the Windermere Prep Holiday Tournament held in Orlando, Fla.



* Hinsdale Central (Hinsdale) senior wrestler Jack Allen, who has finished as the runner-up at 285 pounds the last two years at the state championships, defeated Josh Dust of Warren in the title match of the 56th annual Berman Holiday Classic in Palatine. Allen has won four tournament titles this season and is 22-0.{PAGEBREAK}STORYLINES AROUND CHICAGOLAND
* Defending Illinois Class 4A boys basketball champion Simeon (Chicago), ranked No. 5 nationally in the MaxPreps Xcellent 25 boys basketball rankings, extended its unbeaten streak to 17 (including 10-0 this season) with a 108-59 Chicago Public League win Tuesday over Julian. Sophomore star Jabari Parker scored 20 points. The Wolverines also defeated Warren 58-50 in the title game of the Pontiac Holiday Tournament. The tournament's final day certainly tested the Wolverines' endurance as both the semifinals and finals were held the same day. Parker led Simeon in the title game, scoring 16 points. Parker was also named winner of the tournament's A.C. Williamson Trophy, an annual award voted on by game officials to recognize the MVP and player displaying strong sportsmanship.

* Make that 32 consecutive wins for Montini's (Lombard) girls basketball team. Whitney Holloway scored a career-high 28 points in a 72-59 win over Marian Catholic in the Montini Christmas Tournament. The Broncos, defending Class 3A state champs, have won their first 19 games this year. In the last 12 months, their only loss was to Class 4A champ Bolingbrook in January 2010. Montini will face Bolingbrook again this year in the McDonald Shootout on Jan. 17 at Willowbrook High School.

* Meanwhile, Bolingbrook's girls won their fourth consecutive SouthWest Suburban Blue game Tuesday, defeating Homewood-Flossmoor, 61-40. The Raiders (10-2) are ranked No. 4 in the MaxPreps Xcellent 25 girls basketball rankings and their only losses came in the Nike Tournament of Champions. They have won two consecutive Illinois 4A championships and have not lost to an Illinois school each of the last two seasons.

* The boys basketball team at Chicago Raby forfeited its game to Chicago Crane on Tuesday because the team did not have enough eligible players to put on the court. "There are some academic issues with the team," Chicago Public Schools Sports Director Calvin Davis told the Chicago Sun-Times.

Paul Bowker, an online and newspaper sports journalist for 25 years and the author of two Major League Baseball books, covers the Chicago area for MaxPreps. He may be reached at bowkerpaul1@aol.com.