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"path": "/high-school-basketball/2026/03/06/benet-basketball-bolingbrook-ihsa-playoffs",
"publishedAt": "2026-03-07T03:30:55.735Z",
"site": "https://chicago.suntimes.com",
"tags": [
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"textContent": "<p>Everything was going against <a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://chicago.suntimes.com/super-25-basketball-rankings/2026/03/01/high-school-basketball-rankings-chicago-illinois-sun-times-michael-obrien\" target=\"_blank\" >top-ranked Benet</a> on <a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://chicago.suntimes.com/high-school-basketball/scores/2026/03/06/ihsa-state-basketball-tournament-scores-illinois\" target=\"_blank\" >Friday</a>.</p><p>Bolingbrook’s sold-out gym made for an intense atmosphere. Raiders guard Brady Pettigrew showed the crowd why he’s one of the best sophomores in the country. Bolingbrook senior TJ Williams, a long and athletic 6-3 guard, defended Redwings star Jayden Wright better than any player in the last two seasons. And the Raiders even were outrebounding Benet, something that hasn’t happened all season.</p><p>It was the kind of game very good teams lose on the road in the playoffs. But the defending state champion Redwings might be a great team, and they found a way to win.</p><p>Wright battled through the defense, 7-1 Colin Stack made two key three-pointers and 6-8 junior Ed Stasys came alive in the second half as Benet defeated No. 8 Bolingbrook 51-44 in a Class 4A sectional final.</p><p>‘‘The first half, I wasn’t playing like myself,’’ Stasys said. ‘‘My teammates picked me up and supported me. I had to do what I had to do to win. I had to start pushing it.’’</p><p>Stack led the Redwings (34-1) with 14 points, and Stasys added 13 points and seven rebounds.</p><p>‘‘I was proud of our guys just gutting through it,’’ Benet coach Gene Heidkamp said. ‘‘Bolingbrook is a heck of a team. The game was never comfortable, and we were lucky to pull it out in the last minute and a half.’’</p><p>The Raiders (25-8) led 25-24 at halftime, and Stasys had no points and one rebound at the break.</p><p>‘‘Ed did a heck of a job rebounding [in the second half],’’ Stack said. ‘‘He was all over the glass and made sure whoever he was guarding was stopped.’’</p><p>A three-pointer by Stack at the buzzer to end the third quarter put the Redwings ahead 38-33, and they boosted the lead to 44-35 on a dunk by Stack with 4:59 left.</p><div class=\"Enhancement\" data-align-center> <div class=\"Enhancement-item\" data-crop=\"\"> <figure class=\"Figure\"><a class=\"AnchorLink\" id=\"image-a40000\" name=\"image-a40000\"></a> <picture data-crop=\"medium\"> <source type=\"image/webp\" width=\"490\" height=\"275\" data-srcset=\"https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/8a1c7c9/2147483647/strip/true/crop/4591x2577+0+0/resize/490x275!/format/webp/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2F4d%2Fbf%2Ffa0e803847a1a955051ec8a201ac%2Fob-cst-030726-007.jpg 1x,https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/afdf04b/2147483647/strip/true/crop/4591x2577+0+0/resize/980x550!/format/webp/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2F4d%2Fbf%2Ffa0e803847a1a955051ec8a201ac%2Fob-cst-030726-007.jpg 2x\" data-lazy-load=\"true\" srcset=\"data:image/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHZlcnNpb249IjEuMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIyNzVweCIgd2lkdGg9IjQ5MHB4Ij48L3N2Zz4=\" /> <source width=\"490\" height=\"275\" data-srcset=\"https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/2c2b701/2147483647/strip/true/crop/4591x2577+0+0/resize/490x275!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2F4d%2Fbf%2Ffa0e803847a1a955051ec8a201ac%2Fob-cst-030726-007.jpg\" data-lazy-load=\"true\" srcset=\"data:image/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHZlcnNpb249IjEuMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIyNzVweCIgd2lkdGg9IjQ5MHB4Ij48L3N2Zz4=\" /> <img class=\"Image\" alt=\"Benet's Jayden Wright (3) controls the ball against Bolingbrook's TJ Williams (3) during the 4A sectional final game.\" srcset=\"https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/2c2b701/2147483647/strip/true/crop/4591x2577+0+0/resize/490x275!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2F4d%2Fbf%2Ffa0e803847a1a955051ec8a201ac%2Fob-cst-030726-007.jpg 1x,https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/be19c63/2147483647/strip/true/crop/4591x2577+0+0/resize/980x550!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2F4d%2Fbf%2Ffa0e803847a1a955051ec8a201ac%2Fob-cst-030726-007.jpg 2x\" width=\"490\" height=\"275\" data-src=\"https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/2c2b701/2147483647/strip/true/crop/4591x2577+0+0/resize/490x275!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2F4d%2Fbf%2Ffa0e803847a1a955051ec8a201ac%2Fob-cst-030726-007.jpg\" data-lazy-load=\"true\" src=\"data:image/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHZlcnNpb249IjEuMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIyNzVweCIgd2lkdGg9IjQ5MHB4Ij48L3N2Zz4=\" > </picture> <div class=\"Figure-content\"><figcaption class=\"Figure-caption\"><p>Benet’s Jayden Wright (3) controls the ball against Bolingbrook’s TJ Williams (3) during the 4A sectional final game.</p></figcaption><span class=\"line\"></span><div class=\"Figure-credit\"><p>Kirsten Stickney/For the Sun-Times</p></div></div> </figure> </div> </div><p>Pettigrew, however, asserted himself at that point, scoring or assisting on Bolingbrook’s next nine points. The Raiders cut their deficit to two points with 2:11 left, but they couldn’t get over the hump.</p><p>Junior Perry Tchiegne sealed Benet’s victory with a steal and dunk with 12 seconds left.</p><p></p><p>‘‘We have a bunch of great players,’’ Stasys said. ‘‘Perry had a heck of a game. If someone is being taken away, we have other guys that can score.’’</p><p></p><p>Tchiegne finished with 13 points and seven rebounds. His offense helped the Redwings overcome Williams’ impressive defense on Wright, who finished with nine points.</p><p></p><p>‘‘[Williams] is an unbelievable defensive player,’’ Heidkamp said. ‘‘His length and athleticism really make Jayden work for everything. Nothing was easy.’’</p><p></p><p>Pettigrew finished with 14 points, and 6-7 senior Elijah Anderson added 13 points and six rebounds for Bolingbrook.</p><p></p><p>‘‘They’re the No. 1 team for a reason, and they made some plays down the stretch,’’ Raiders coach Rob Brost said. ‘‘We had a couple of opportunities that we missed. But give [the Redwings] credit. They’re good at what they do.’’</p><p></p><p>Benet will face Rockford Auburn on Monday in the NIU Supersectional.</p><div class=\"Enhancement\" data-align-center><div class=\"Enhancement-item\"> <div class=\"ExternalContent-wrapper\" > <div class=\"TweetUrl\"> <blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Benet beats Bolingbrook 51-44. Too-ranked Redwings will face the Guilford vs. Auburn winner in the NIU supersectional. <br><br>Stack had 14 and Stasys 13. <a href=\"https://t.co/iTE262xDiJ\">pic.twitter.com/iTE262xDiJ</a></p>— Michael O'Brien (@michaelsobrien) <a href=\"https://twitter.com/michaelsobrien/status/2030106331571425602?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">March 7, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src=\"https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"></script> </div> </div> </div></div><p></p>",
"title": "Top-ranked Benet takes Bolingbrook's best shot and survives",
"updatedAt": "2026-03-07T03:49:17.176Z"
}