Benet ‘plays like a pack of wolves,’ overwhelms Naperville North for 11th straight regional title

LISLE – Stop Natalie Frempong.

That was the easier-said-than done mission Benet was on Thursday night.

Frempong, Naperville North’s star junior point guard, came into the Class 4A Benet Regional championship game averaging over 20 points a game and had dropped 31 on Oswego East in the regional semifinals.

“We knew that we had to play really hard defense, load up on (Frempong) and get after them in the full court,” Benet senior guard Lindsay Harzich said. “On Monday, we watched her score 30 points, and today Ava Mersinger and Ava Thomas totally locked her up. It was awesome.”

Harzich was not exaggerating. Mersinger, Benet’s sophomore defensive wizard, stuck to Frempong like glue. And when Mersinger wasn’t in the game, Thomas, a junior, did the same thing.

The result was astounding. Frempong was held to six points on 1 for 15 shooting and the top-seeded Redwings rolled to a 64-13 victory over the ninth-seeded Huskies.

It was the 11th straight regional title for Benet (28-2), which advances to play fourth-seeded Downers Grove North (22-9) in the Bolingbrook Sectional semifinals at 6 p.m. Tuesday.

“It was a great defensive effort,” Benet coach Joe Kilbride said. “Mersinger and Thomas were outstanding on Natalie and I thought the rest of our kids did a really good job of loading up and helping.”

Indeed, it wasn’t just Frempong who struggled for the Huskies (17-15). Senior Anna Richards, their leading shooter, was held scoreless and attempted only one shot, and the Huskies made only three baskets.

Harzich made that many in the first four minutes alone. The Brown recruit started the scoring with a 3-pointer and tallied 11 of her game-high 13 points, including a buzzer-beating drive, before halftime as the Redwings built a 28-6 lead.

“We made sure we stayed out on their shooter and just kept getting after them, stepped on their throats right when the game started so that they can’t get anything,” Harzich said. “We knew that our defense would lead to our offense, and that’s exactly what happened.”

Indeed, the Redwings forced 29 turnovers, 17 of which came off of steals. The fast and unflappable Mersinger was the linchpin, often guarding Frempong by herself.

“I was just doing the best I can to stay in front and keep a hand in her shooting pocket,” Mersinger said. “If she gets by me, I know my teammates have my back.”

Frempong is usually a master at getting to the rim, but she rarely got anywhere near the lane against the Redwings, who picked her up early and then swarmed anyone who got the ball.

“’Playoff Merse’ is what I call her,” Kilbride said. “She cranks it up to another level in the playoffs and she was certainly there today.

“Mersinger is an elite defender and Thomas is right there with her.”

The Redwings didn’t shoot particularly well, especially in the first half when they made 12 of 36 attempts. But they picked it up after intermission when the outcome was long since decided.

Richmond-bound junior guard Bridget Rifenburg finished with 11 points, six steals, five rebounds, three assists and two blocks. Senior guard Aria Mazza added nine points, while junior guard Sailor Jones added seven points and four boards and junior center Emma Briggs six points, three rebounds and two assists.

Mersinger chipped in four points on 2 for 3 shooting, two assists, two boards and a steal. But her worth cannot be measured by mere numbers and the only thing she aims for are victories.

“We played like a family today, a pack of wolves,” Mersinger said. “I was really impressed.

“It was really fun to play. It was just an exciting game because of our energy, and we were fighting together. This is the best time of the year.”