Warde holds off Xavier in opening-round victory

FAIRFIELD — Warde’s killer B held off Xavier’s killer B’s.

Standing at the free throw line with a one-point lead and just 7.3 seconds left to play, Mustangs forward Malcolm Brune calmly made both free throws and then watched as Jackson Benigni — one of the Falcons’ killer B tandem with Matt Bielanda — missed a desperation 3-pointer just before the buzzer as the Mustangs held on to post a 60-57 victory over Xavier in the opening round of the Division II tournament Tuesday night at the Warde gym.

“We all expected him to do that. They were the two biggest free throws of the season,” Warde’s Sean Conway said.

“Malcolm, a senior, makes two big free throws, Chris Bogan, a senior, makes four big free throws,” Warde coach Ryan Swaller said. “Sean down the stretch, all the seniors stepping up … it’s nice to have that first win in the states.”

While Brune finished with just eight points, his two free throws were the biggest part of a gameending free throw run that saw the Mustangs make eight of their last nine over the final 2:07, just enough to hold off the charging Falcons, who trailed by 13 at halftime and almost rallied back to win.

“That’s kind of been our MO throughout the year. When we have been down, they always seem to come back,” Xavier coach Michael Kohs said. “Today, we dug ourselves too deep a hole.”

Indeed. Thanks to six first half 3-pointers from Matt Houghton, Warde opened a 33-20 halftime cushion, only to see Xavier erase that lead with a big 22-point third quarter that sent the game into the final eight minutes tied at 42.

“I knew they were going to give us their best in that third quarter,” Swaller said. “They got a little more comfortable with our zone, which I think threw them off in the first half and allowed us to extend the lead, and I think that Matt caught them off guard as well, but Benigni is a great player. He found ways to score. He never stopped moving.”

Benigni, who finished with 34, and Bielenda, who added 19, were spectacular for Xavier. The two combined to score 53 of the Falcons’ 57 points. Benigni had 15 in the first half, 19 in the second, doing this while guarding Warde’s scoring machine Sean Conway, who

managed 18 for the game, his lowest scoring output of the season.

“I told him after the game that was probably the best performance I’ve seen this year by someone to put his team on his back and will our way to a lead,” Swaller said of Benigni’s defense against Conway. “I was very impressed with his leadership more than anything else. He was great at both ends.”

“I thought we did an outstanding job guarding Conway. We did a good job on Becker. If you told me we were going to hold them to 24 combined, I think we win the game,” Kohs said. “We did a super job on them but the kid Houghton, he hurt us in the first half. They had a kid step up when they needed a kid to step up.”

And Benigni’s effort at

the offensive end?

“Jackson is like that. He’s an outstanding player,” Kohs said. “What makes him special is his motor never quits. It doesn’t matter who he’s guarding or what’s going on, he’s giving 100 percent effort. He never seems to get tired, he loves the game. He’s special.”

Two free throws from Benigni gave Xavier a 48-44 lead with 6:47 to play but Warde rallied to tie matters at 48 before going in front on a Becker 3-pointer with 3:25 left. From there, the Mustangs made eight of their last nine free throws to hold off the Falcons.

Warde, the No. 15 seed, advances into Thursday’s second round game against second-seeded Immaculate in Danbury.

While Conway worked to find some rhythm on offense in the first half (he scored only four points), Houghton more than picked up the slack. Channeling the Ludlowe game (where he made eight 3-pointers), the junior buried six bombs in the first half, including three in a row to complete a 9-0 half-ending run that gave the Mustangs a 33-20 lead. Warde also got some help from Brune, who scored six points and grabbed eight of his 13 rebounds in the first half.

Despite his lack of firsthalf scoring, Conway was battling at both ends of the floor, grabbing eight rebounds, handing out three assists and coming up with two steals.

After Brune’s free throws gave Warde a three-point lead, Xavier had a chance to tie but Benigni’s tying 3pointer from just beyond half court missed.

“I was looking to go to the right and I saw the double-team and I lost the ball for a second, so I kind of just picked it up and shot it,” Benigni said. Xavier’s Jackson Benigni. He scored 34 points and held the FCIAC Player of the Year, Sean Conway to just 18 points, his lowest scoring output of the season.

“I knew he was a great player, I read about him all the time in the paper, that just makes me want to guard him more. I want to stop him, I want to be the guy that shuts him down.” – Benigni to guarding Warde’s Sean Conway