Benet guard Emilia Sularski found her shot, and Carmel lost its upset bid.
Sularski has been in a shooting slump lately, and her team’s fortunes have sagged along with her.
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The 5-foot-11 junior missed her first three shots against the Corsairs on Wednesday before she turned things around.
“I was a little off, but I finally made my shot,” Sularski said. “Once I hit that first shot, I started getting confident. I got really excited about that.”
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Sularski sank five consecutive shots, including three of her four 3-pointers, and finished with 17 points as the Redwings rallied from a 10-point deficit for a 49-40 East Suburban Catholic Conference win.
It was an impressive turnaround for Benet (14-6, 5-1) after the defending Class 3A state champion Corsairs (17-5, 2-2) used an early 12-2 run to take a 19-9 lead. They knocked off defending Class 4A state champion Stevenson 42-37 on Monday after trailing by eight in the third quarter.
“The girls played really hard with great energy, so I’m proud of that,” Carmel coach Ben Berg said. “We’re making progress from earlier in the year, but when it was winning time with three or four minutes left, they made some big plays, and we didn’t.”
Sularski actually started making big plays before that. Her steal and layup began Benet’s comeback midway through the second quarter, and she hit her first 3-pointer on the next possession to cut Carmel’s lead to 19-14.
“Emilia got her stroke back, which was very nice to see,” Benet coach Joe Kilbride said. “Emilia is a phenomenal shooter who has been in a little rough patch, and today she just kind of cleared that patch out.”
Sularski scored eight points in the third quarter, making back-to-back 3-pointers that gave the Redwings a 31-27 lead.
Samantha Trimberger assisted on both baskets. The senior center came through with a third assist on perhaps the biggest play of the game.
After Michigan State recruit Jordan Wood, who led all scorers with 18 points, tied it at 33-33 on a short turnaround jumper, Benet senior guard Lenee Beaumont drove to the basket and was fouled.
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Beaumont, an Indiana recruit who scored 17 points, made the first free throw and missed the second. But the 6-0 Trimberger outjumped both the 6-5 Wood and 6-1 Mia Ellis for the rebound and then kicked the ball out to Sularski, who hit another 3-pointer from the top of the key with 4:36 left in the game.
That was the onset of a 12-2 run by Benet.
“It’s a great team win,” Beaumont said. “When we were down 10, we easily could have collapsed. A lot of our losses have come when we’re a little bit disconnected. But today I thought everyone who stepped on the court was contributing in some way.”
That was vital because the Corsairs were focused on limiting Beaumont. The strategy worked at first.
“I think our defense was actually really good, (especially) our ability to stop Lenee on her spins and drives,” Carmel senior guard Kyla Smith said. “She was the person to stop. We were focused on Lenee and just fell asleep on the other shooters. But we’re good.”
Smith played a key support role, making two steals and scoring twice on drives in the first quarter. Her assist on Wood’s layup made it 19-9 at the 6:41 mark of the second quarter.
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“She’s explosive going to the basket, and when she reads that, especially off swings of the ball, she can be very effective scoring for us,” Berg said of Smith. “And her help on defense was tremendous tonight on Lenee, and that’s what we’re looking for. She did a real good job of that.”
But it wasn’t enough to prevent Carmel’s second loss to Benet this season.
“It was exciting,” Sularski said. “I feel like we’re starting to come together as a team.”
Matt Le Cren is a freelance reporter for the Naperville Sun.
