Benet Preps

Blake Fagbemi scored 11 of his 22 points in the first quarter and came up a few assists shy of a triple-double, and Benet shot 67% and blew open a four-point game at halftime to beat Rich 73-56 in the finale of the When Sides Collide Shootout.

Benet boys basketball faced Rich Township in the When Sides Collide Shootout at Benet Academy on Saturday, Jan. 25, 2025 in Lisle.

Hayden Schroeder could dunk in the seventh grade. The Wheaton Academy sophomore is 6-foot-8 with shoes on, and he isn’t done growing. And he’s rated by some as a top four sophomore in Illinois.

Aria Mazza hit seven 3-pointers and scored all 25 of her points in the first half, leading Benet to a stunningly lopsided 74-48 victory over Libertyville on Monday at the Coach Kipp Hoopsfest.

Benet senior center Emma Briggs played a key role defensively while adding 11 points to go with six rebounds and three assists as the Redwings started cold but ended hot for a 58-40 win over Prospect at Coach Kipp’s Hoopsfest.

Blake Fagbemi electrified the Benet crowd with a soaring tip dunk a minute in Friday, and did his best work serving up others with 12 assists, but the cold-shooting Redwings lost to visiting St. Patrick 53-49.

Benet Academy hosted St. Patrick in boys varsity basketball on Friday, Jan. 17, 2025 in Lisle.

Benet hosted Marist in girls varsity basketball on Wednesday, Jan 8, 2025 in Lisle.

Aria Mazza sank a 3-pointer from the top of the key for her 1,000th career point, and Benet rolled past Marist 71-35 to extend its winning streak to 16 straight games.

Benet defeated Fremd in the Montini Girls Basketball Christmas Tournament on Saturday, Dec. 28, 2024 in Lombard.

Aria Mazza and Bridget Rifenburg led four players in double figures with 18 points apiece as Benet captured the prestigious Montini Christmas Tournament title with a thrilling 67-64 victory over Fremd.

The two-game schedule required for winning the Pontiac Holiday Tournament is a grind, but after winning an overtime matchup over powerful Simeon in the semifinals there wasn't enough fuel left for Benet to rebound to top DePaul Prep in the final.

Despite playing the entire fourth quarter with four fouls, Benet junior Bridget Rifenburg scored seven of her 12 points in the final four minutes to help lift Benet to a 71-58 win over previously unbeaten Lyons at the Montini Christmas Tournament semifinals.

Benet occasionally has a breakout individual effort but ultimately the team tends to play better when working as a sum of its parts. Both of those options showed up in a 58-44 win over Bloom at the Pontiac Holiday Tournament on Friday.

It took Benet a quarter to find the path of least resistance in its opening round game at the Pontiac Holiday Tournament, but once it did things were a breeze in a 70-36 win over Danville.

Only seven rotational players on the Redwings’ roster of 22 played in the majority of their 64-39 victory, but almost everyone listed on that roster had minutes by game’s end.

Benet junior Jayden Wright, who scored 19 points in Benet’s overtime win over Marist, is the Suburban Life Athlete of the Week in an online vote. Here is his Q&A with Sports Editor Joshua Welge.

Here is the 2024 Suburban Life All-Area football team.

Nazareth hosted Benet in girls basketball on Saturday, Dec. 14, 2024 in La Grange Park.

Brown recruit Lindsay Harzich scored 12 points and had four steals, and Benet started fast and went on to a 66-49 win at Nazareth.

Jayden Wright hit two long three-pointers and took a key charge in the fourth quarter, and Benet rode that momentum to a scintillating 74-66 win over Marist.

Benet hosted Marist boys basketball on Friday, Dec. 13, 2024 in Lisle.

Meet Friday Night Drive’s 2024 All-CCL/ESCC team, which was selected by the Friday Night Drive staff with input from coaches across the 24-team league.

Montini senior guard Nikki Kerstein puts on a show-stopping performance, and scores a career-high, in game at the iconic "Hoosiers" gym," Benet's Aria Mazza doesn't let sickness stop her hot shooting and Lyons among area teams ranked in latest poll in girls basketball notes.

Here is the 2024 Suburban Life All-Area girls volleyball team.

Benet senior libero and Purdue recruit Aniya Warren, who led the Redwings to a 40-2 record and second place in Class 4A for the third consecutive year, is the Suburban Life girls volleyball Player of the Year.

Here is the 2024 Suburban Life All-Area soccer team

Here is a list of CCL/ESCC football players who have committed to colleges at various levels and can sign their financial aid agreements starting Wednesday.

The 2024-2025 boys basketball season tips off this week. Here are previews of teams from around the Suburban Life area.

Stanford recruit Nora Ezike and teammate Emma O'Brien each scored 27 points and grabbed 12 rebounds, and Lyons pulled away late for a 77-67 win over Benet in the season opener for both teams in La Grange.

Lyons Township girls basketball hosted Benet on Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024 in La Grange.

As the girls basketball season tips off this week, here are previews of teams from around the Suburban Life coverage area.

For three straight seasons, Benet has found itself just one set away from getting its hands on the Class 4A championship trophy. But for the third straight season, the quest ended just short. Marist rallied from down a set to beat Benet 19-25, 25-16, 25-19.

Benet faced Marist girls volleyball in the Class 4A State Championship match on Saturday, Nov. 16, 2024 at at CEFCU Arena in Normal.

Benet put up 14 total blocks, with Wisconsin-bound Lynney Tarnow dropping four of them, to take down Huntley in straight sets to advance to its third consecutive Class 4A title match.

Benet Academy defeated Huntley 25-15, 25-19 during the Class 4A State semifinal game on Friday, Nov. 15, 2024 at CEFCU Arena in Normal. The Redwings will play in the Championship game tomorrow at 8:55p.m.

Lyons senior wide receiver/defensive back Travis Stamm and Downers Grove North senior linebacker/running back Jake Gregorio were among Suburban Life area football players named to the Illinois High School Football Coaches Association All-State teams released Wednesday.

Led by dominant net play from Brooklynne Brass and Lynney Tarnow, Benet secured a 25-17, 25-15 victory over New Trier to advance to state for the third straight season.

Benet girls volleyball faced New Trier on Monday, Nov. 11, 2024 in the Class 4A St. Charles North Supersectional in St. Charles.

Downers Grove North's boys cross country team, ranked No. 1 since preseason, ran away with a dominating repeat Class 3A state championship, while in a tight 3A girls race York took second and Downers Grove North third. And Benet's Finn Richards won the Class 2A boys state title.

Wheaton Warrenville South girls volleyball faced Benet in the Class 4A West Aurora Sectional semifinals on Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024 in Aurora.

Benet Academy's season came to an end with a 38-6 loss to Rochelle in the second round of the Class 5A playoffs Friday.

Benet faces Rochelle in Round 2 of the 2024 Class 5A IHSA football playoffs. Friday Night Drive correspondent Russ Hodges will have live updates, scores and news from the game

St. Charles North faced Benet girls volleyball on Thursday, Nov. 7, 2024 in the Class 4A West Aurora Sectional final.

After trailing by as many as six points in the second set, Benet to secure a straight-set victory over St. Charles North to advance to the supersectionals for the third straight season

Here are previews and picks for all the second-round games for teams in the Suburban Life coverage area.

DePaul Prep continued its historic season Saturday by winning its first-ever playoff game. Plus more CCL/ESCC notes on a withdrawn bid to cancel the Prep Bowl, Fenwick, Brother Rice and CCL/ESCC playoff statistics.

Dayton recruit and defensive specialist Morgan Asleson demonstrated her skills Tuesday with 15 digs and 13 service points, helping send top-seeded Benet past Wheaton Warrenville South 25-14, 25-14 in the Class 4A West Aurora Sectional semifinal.

Prairie Ridge faced Benet boys soccer in the Class 2A Wheaton Academy Supersectional on Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024 in Wheaton.

Prairie Ridge senior Henry Knoll scored with 17:10 left in the first half to turn a scoreless but seemingly lopsided game around, and the Wolves went on to a 4-1 win over Benet in the Class 2A Wheaton Academy Supersectional to advance to state for the first time in 25 years.