Montville — Davon Benjamin's teammates listened attentively and waited patiently for him to finish a postgame, on-air interview Wednesday night. And then they helped mobbed him, helping him celebrate the moment, illustrating how much they like him and respect him.

Or maybe they were just relieved that Benjamin saved his best game of the season for an old rivalry.

Benjamin scored a season-high 14 points, including a key three-pointer with 3:41 left and then a late free throw, helping New London nudge past St. Bernard, 47-44, in the South Division of the Eastern Connecticut Conference.

"I had to do it for my team," Benjamin said. "Last time we were on theday.com, we got upset (last month at Waterford)."

Benjamin's three-pointer gave the Whalers (5-2) a six-point lead at the time. St. Bernard (4-3) got back to within two and nearly tied it with 3.4 seconds left, watching Cedrick Similien's layup roll out.

Benjamin's free throw made it 47-44 with 3.4 seconds left. Walker Baillargeon's halfcourt three-point attempt also rolled off the rim, giving the Whalers a victory that moved them into the No. 3 seed in the standings.

"I like this team," New London coach Craig Parker said. "I thought Tayshawn (Cunningham Pemberton, 16 points) had a nice game for us. Pedro (Rhodia Perry, 13 points) was big going 1-on-1 for us and Davon was able to hold them off. I like the way we've played all year."

The Whalers led by as many as six on two different occasions in the second half after trailing 20-18 at halftime.

"Any game you see doesn't really come down to one play," St. Bernard coach Mark Jones said. "It's what everybody sees. But we had opportunities."

Frank Pacheco led St. Bernard with 14 points. Baillargeon and Similien had nine apiece.

"We've just got to play better together," Jones said. "This was not a team effort. I thought we looked like a bunch of individuals. That's my fault. I've got to do a better job with these guys."

The Saints don't have much time to prepare for the next opponent. They play at Waterford on Friday. The Saints beat the Lancers earlier this season.

New London ends its season at Ledyard and at NFA.

m.dimauro@theday.com