Parker Sulaver makes sure it’s no walk in the park for post players. Benet just keeps making things difficult.

Parker Sulaver is the most unsung player in Benet’s starting lineup.

He won’t be for much longer.

The 6-foot-6 junior center is in his first season as a starter but his third on varsity. He eventually will become just the fourth four-year varsity player in program history, joining Sean O’Mara, Pat McInerney and Colin Crothers.

O’Mara led the Redwings to the 2014 state championship game and has played professionally in Japan, McInerney won more games than any other Benet player, and Crothers, a junior center at Johns Hopkins, scored more than 1,300 points.

“Parker has been invaluable to us all year,” Benet coach Gene Heidkamp said. “He does a lot of the things that aren’t necessarily always going to be on the stat sheet.

“Often, he has to guard guys much bigger than him. He’s done whatever the team needs for us to win.”

Sulaver was at it again Tuesday night. He scored six points on 3-for-4 shooting and held Lake Park’s best post player, 6-5 junior Tommy Rochford, scoreless until midway through the fourth quarter to help the top-seeded Redwings win 51-35 in a Class 4A Bartlett Sectional semifinal.

“Rochford is a good player,” Heidkamp said. “Parker did a nice job of taking away from his scoring around the rim.”

Benet (32-1), which broke the program record for wins and is ranked No. 1 in 4A in the poll by The Associated Press, will play the winner of Wednesday’s semifinal between second-seeded Wheaton Warrenville South and third-seeded Geneva in the sectional championship game at 7 p.m. Friday.

“Parker brings toughness, rebounding, incredible defense,” Benet senior guard Sam Driscoll said. “Everyone says we’re undersized and we play these 6-9, 6-10 guys, but he’s the one who is playing defense on them every possession.”

That’s a vital, overlooked task on a team with three offensive stars in Johns Hopkins recruit Brayden Fagbemi, Brady Kunka and Dartmouth recruit Niko Abusara, who get the vast majority of the scoring chances. The Redwings rarely run offensive sets for Sulaver, whose role is perhaps best described as the basketball version of a blocking tight end.

“I absolutely accept it every day,” Sulaver said. “There’s a reason why we’re sitting at 32-1 right now. Those other guys can just tear it up offensively, so I’m perfectly fine with settling for a role of whatever you want to label it as.

“I’m just contributing in any way possible. The fact is, (the big three) just get it done, and when our time comes, me, Sam and Andy (Nash) pick up where they left off.”

That’s exactly what happened against the fifth-seeded Lancers (22-11), who took a 2-0 lead, only to see Benet respond with a 16-3 run over the rest of the first quarter.

Nash hit two 3-pointers, and Fagbemi scored five of his 13 points during the run, which Driscoll capped when he came off the bench and immediately sank a 3-pointer.

Driscoll scored a team-high 15 points, including four 3-pointers, and Nash added eight points. That was more than enough to overcome the atypical output from Abusara, who scored two points on 1-for-3 shooting while focusing primarily on defense. He did have five assists, two steals and two blocks.

“I think Nico played one of the best defensive games all year,” Driscoll said. “A lot of times that goes unannounced.

“Offensively for me, I just take what’s given to me. We have the best three players in the state, but Parker, Andy and me, we can all step up when we need to.”

Sulaver did so by sinking his only two shots of the first half, including a short jumper just before the buzzer after Lake Park had closed within 27-18. He then contributed a transition layup during an 11-3 run to start the second half.

“Parker’s a winner,” Heidkamp said. “I thought he played great tonight.”

Matt Le Cren is a freelance reporter for the Naperville Sun.