Sectional Semifinal: Whitney Young vs Benet Academy

PGH scouts feature ranked athletes from Kansas.

Jacob Wohlwend

February 19, 2019 @ 08:00 AM

In the second Semifinal of the Darien (Hinsdale South) Sectional on Tuesday, the 2nd seeded Whitney Young Dolphins (24-5) take on the 3rd seeded Benet Redwings (25-5) for the right to play in the Sectional Championship on Thursday. This game is a rematch of a last year’s Sectional Semifinal when Benet prevailed over Young 66-65. While Whitney Young took the two seed in the Sectional, you could make a very strong argument that they should have been awarded the top spot over Montini. Young has five losses on their record, but none of those came at the hands of teams from the state of Illinois. Not only have they not lost to a team from Illinois, but they have also defeated some of the top teams in the state, including Nazareth, Marist, and Simeon, who they defeated in the CPS City Championship. The Dolphins have as much talent as anyone around, and really use their athleticism to pressure opponent’s into frequent turnovers. Guards Kyla Jones and Kayla Green are constantly in ball-handlers faces and turn their takeaways into easy points with their terrific transition offense. In the post, 6’3’’ JR Cameron Williams dominates with her strength and length to establish position and finish at the rim. If Benet wants a repeat of last years game, they will need to put a body on Williams every time a shot goes up. I’ve always been impressed with how much depth Benet has throughout the lineup, but they could really be tested with how much Whitney Young likes to run. When looking for someone to matchup with Young’s Cameron Williams, Benet could look to either Ashley Konkle or Brooke Schramek. The upperclassmen Forwards are both over 6’ and have the talent to get stops. While post play will be very important in this game, I am even more intrigued by how Benet will match up with Young at the top. Senior PG Clara Prasse has always shown the quickness to stay in front of the opposing ball-handler and a high basketball IQ, but she’ll need help to contain the Dolphins talented Guards, and I think 5’11’ SF Kendall Holmes can be that help. In reference to the Redwings depth, I look for Guards like Sophomores Kendall Moriarty and Molly Sheehan to provide support.