PONTIAC, Ill. — Colin Stack, Benet’s 7-foot sophomore, made a three-pointer in the Redwings’ first-round game Thursday against Lockport at the Pontiac Holiday Tournament.
Season ticket holders and everyone else in the gym took notice. It’s extremely rare to see a high school player that young and that tall shooting confidently from three-point range.
Then Stack did it again in the quarterfinals Friday against Oak Park. He didn’t miss a shot against the Huskies. Stack made a three-pointer and a few other jumpers and threw down three dunks to finish 8-for-8 from the field and score 17 points as Benet beat Oak Park 60-48.
‘‘I’ve been a good shooter all my life,’’ Stack said.
Stack’s life has been only 15 years long. He’s one of three sophomores who have helped lead the Redwings to a 13-0 start this season.
‘‘[We’re] grateful for this,’’ sophomore guard Jayden Wright said. ‘‘Our best basketball is still ahead of us. This group of guys is amazing.’’
Wright scored the first 10 points of the game for Benet and finished with 19 points and four assists.
Sophomore Gabe Sularski has received the most attention early in the season. He scored six points and grabbed five rebounds after missing the first-round game with an injury.
‘‘I’m not going to talk about how old they are,’’ Redwings coach Gene Heidkamp said. ‘‘That gets overused by coaches. If you’re old enough to play on the varsity, you’re old enough to play the right way.’’
Benet also has two key juniors — Blake Fagbemi (11 points, five assists) and Daniel Pauliukonis — new to the varsity team this season. Parker Sulaver and Patrick Walsh are the only players in the Redwings’ rotation who played with the team last season.
Benet hasn’t won a state title or even a Pontiac title yet. But the program is in the midst of an unprecedented run of success for a private school in the suburbs playing with suburban kids. The Redwings finished second in Class 4A in 2014, 2016 and 2023.
Now-shuttered St. Joseph, which won state titles in 1999 and 2015, is the only comparison for Benet’s success. And the Chargers had several Chicago players as stars, including Isiah Thomas and Evan Turner.
Next up for the Redwings is a semifinal matchup against Bloom, which knocked off Simeon 45-39 in the first quarterfinal.
It was a sloppy game that was tied at 33 when Rashad McKinnie, the Wolverines’ senior leader, left with an unspecified injury.
The Blazing Trojans (8-3) immediately took advantage, going on a 10-1 run to take control of the game.
‘‘Simeon had a good game plan for us,’’ Bloom junior Elijah Lovemore said. ‘‘They knew our weaknesses, but we played hard to the end and figured out a way to win.’’
Lovemore and Jaden Clark each scored 10 points for the Trojans. McKinnie and junior Lorenzo Shields led the Wolverines (5-7) with 12 points.
