Sacred Heart falls in D4 semifinals
Memorable season for SHA ends in D4 semis
In the end it ended in defeat.
However, the 2021 prep boys basketball season will be one that will be remembered at Mt. Pleasant Sacred Heart Academy for a long time coming because it was brilliant.
On Thursday afternoon from Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids the Mt. Pleasant Sacred Heart Academy boys basketball team had its season come to a close via a 60-41 defeat to Detroit Douglass in a Division 4 semifinal. Douglass (16-5) advances to take on Wyoming Tri-unity Christian (14-2) at 10 a.m. Saturday from the Breslin Center in East Lansing in the D4 state championship game.
The defeat puts an end to one of the best seasons in SHA boys basketball history and one of the strangest seasons in SHA boys basketball history.
“This team definitely left its mark,” said SHA coach Justin Sherlock. “I’m proud of our kids, proud of our seniors and proud of our program.”
On paper the Irish finish the 2021 campaign at 20-2, marking the 10th time in the program’s 96-year history that they reached 20 wins in a single season. Moreover, the Irish also won the Mid-state Activities Conference title en route to D4 district and regional crowns.
In short Sacred Heart Academy was very good in 2021.
On the strange side, well things kind of started sliding that way earlier this week.
After playing the entirety of the regular season without a glitch, naturally, COVID-19 reared its ugly head this week. On Wednesday morning three SHA players tested positive for COVID-19 while its starting five didn’t test positive. Because of this SHA had only five players to play the entirety of Thursday’s semifinal, albeit it was its starting five.
Victims of circumstance the Irish were cleared to play in the semifinal which they did Thursday.
“We knew it was going to be kind of a crazy basketball season,” Sherlock added. “We had a special senior class and we’re just glad we got to play.”
The Hurricanes took a 10-9 lead through one quarter before reeling off a 15-3 secondquarter run to claim a 25-12 halftime lead. They cruised to the win from thereon out.
For the game the Irish shot 30 percent, connecting on 17-of-57 shots. They also went 7-of-27 (26-percent) from downtown on 0-of-5 from the free-throw line.
Douglass hit at a 51-percent clip on 24
of-47 shooting and went 2-of-9 from beyond the 3-point arc. It also went 10of-15 from the charity stripe while outrebounding the Irish 43-26.
Zach Wentworth led SHA with 15 points, all coming in the second half.
He also had four assists. Luke Predum chipped in 13 points while Aidan Halliday had 11 points and four rebounds. Ben Wilson chipped in two points and four boards while Gabe Ruggle had seven boards.
Pierre Brooks II led Douglass with 30 points while Javantae Randle had 15 points, 10 boards and eight blocks.