'D' Bulls top LeBron
Would you believe the Bulls won for a second straight game because of their -- ahem -- defense? Believe it.

Redwings take challenge in stride
LOCKPORT -- Benet, the top-seed in the Lockport Sectional was stretched by Downers Grove North in Tuesday's sectional semifinals, but the Redwings survived to play another day.

Eagles win on the road
Benedictine University's football team utilized a smothering defense and its strong ground game to post a 32-6 Northern Athletics Conference (NAC) win at Rockford College on Saturday.

Benedictine player honored again
Benedictine University volleyball standout Kayla Leyden picked up her third award Nov. 2 as the Northern Athletics Conference's (NAC) Student-Athlete of the Week after leading her team to a 2-2 mark last week.

Lyons finally solves Wildcats
Neuqua Valley's quest for a perfect season and a state championship has come to an end. Lyons Township ruined everything with a 1-0 victory against Neuqua in a Class 3A supersectional match played Tuesday night at Benedictine University.

Participants also learn at school fundraiser
SS Peter and Paul, in conjunction with Western DuPage Special Recreation Association, hosted its third annual volleyball fundraiser Tuesday at the Naperville school. The event pitted the two eighth-grade teams of each gender, sandwiched around an enlightening wheelchair basketball demonstration.

Benet pulls away from N. Central in final
In the first set, you couldn't tell the first-seeded girls volleyball team in the sectional from the eighth-seeded team. The underdog, Naperville Central, battled sectional favorite Benet, point for point Saturday, before a Benet burst at the end gave the Redwings a 25-22 victory.

Benedictine wants off roller coaster
The best way to describe Benedictine University's football season seven games into the 2009 season is up-and-down.

Little Brass Bell stays with North Central
Against third-ranked Wheaton College on Oct. 24, No. 13 North Central College found itself in a rare position early: trailing.

Lisle girls squad reaches sectional
The Lisle girls cross country team advanced to sectional competition after finishing fourth at Oct. 24's Luther North Regional in Chicago.

Area teams make state football playoffs
The IHSA announced the state football playoff pairings and seeds Saturday night. The following area teams made the cut: 

Benet duo falls short at state

Despite the rain and the long car rides to indoor courts, and long waits for those courts, Joyce Hanlon of Benet thought this week's state tennis tournament was a positive experience.

Benet falls from soccer playoffs
The offensive struggles for the Redwings resurfaced during Benet's 1-0 loss against Wheaton Warrenville South in the Bolingbrook Regional championship played on a cold, wet and windy Friday afternoon.

Redwings, Wildcats neck and neck
It was a display of picture-perfect tennis by Neuqua Valley singles player Natalie Peters. Peters, who went into this weekend's Naperville North Sectional with a 5-6 seed, defeated Metea Valley freshman Kelsey Chin 6-0, 6-0 in the quarterfinals to earn her second straight qualification for the state tournament.

Benet shut out
Benet's 2-0 loss at St. Viator on Friday afternoon prevented the Redwings from sharing the East Suburban Catholic championship with Carmel, dropping Benet to third place.

Marist's big plays sink Benet
By the time Benet finally made a big play on Friday night, it was too late to catch up to Marist, which had made every big play up to that point in a 43-12 win that got the RedHawks playoff eligible.

The Lions prevail to play another day
How dominating was Lisle in its regional quarterfinal win over Islamic Foundation of Villa Park? The 9-0 score doesn't begin to indicate how much the Lions controlled the contest Oct. 13 at Wilde Field in Lisle.

Benet faces uphill climb to postseason

When St. Joseph leaves the East Suburban Catholic Conference at the end of the academic year, it will take a certain amount of prestige from its basketball league. It's the school of Isiah Thomas, "Hoop Dreams" and two of the better players you'll see in the Big Ten this winter -- Evan Turner (Ohio State) and Demetri McCamey (Illinois).

Benedictine comeback falls short

Benedictine University's attempt to rally back from a large deficit late in the game versus Concordia University came up short, 24-20, on Oct. 10 in Mequon, Wis.

Defense leads Benet to volleyball title
It was fitting that the most valuable player in the Benet girls volleyball invitational was the libero, because at the end of the day, it was the defense that carried the Redwings.

Lyles helps JCA rout Benet
Joliet Catholic Academy senior tailback Jordan Lyles took the first handoff of the game and raced through the Benet Academy (3-4, 2-3) defense easily for a 19-yard gain and a first down. That run told all in attendance at Memorial Stadium just what was in store for them Friday night in the East Suburban Catholic Conference matchup.

Is there a rematch in the future?
Chicago Christian came to Lisle and made the Lions' senior night one to forget.

Big plays mean victory for Benet
Benet put it all together against St. Viator.

Benedictine emerges from struggle with win
Benedictine University's football team could not have asked for a better outcome than Oct. 3's 21-14 Northern Athletics Conference (NAC) win over rival Aurora University in the 2009 league opener for both teams