Sacred Heart never let a slow start derail a strong finish. The same could be said for the Spartans’ performance in their final game of the season.
Sacred Heart fell to St. Mary’s (Lancaster), 57-48, in the state CHSAA “A” girls basketball championship at Hofstra on Saturday night.
Anne Kiernan had 20 points and nine rebounds, Emma Frohne had 11 points and Haylee Ellwood had 10 points for Sacred Heart (17-10). Emily McDonald had 19 points for St. Mary’s (19-8).
After trailing by 12 points with less than three minutes left, the Spartans went on an 8-0 run over 1:25 to cut St. Mary’s lead to 50-46 with 1:25 left in the fourth quarter. But Sacred Heart couldn’t make it a one-possession contest.
Sacred Heart trailed 25-19 at halftime and the first two minutes of the third quarter gave the impression the score could get out of hand quickly. St. Mary’s opened the second half on a 7-3 run, taking a 32-22 lead 1:24 into the third quarter, the largest lead for either team.
The Spartans quickly answered. Sacred Heart went on a 7-0 run to cut St. Mary’s lead to 32-29 with 4:40 left in the third quarter. But ultimately, the Spartans couldn’t bring the score any closer.
The Spartans showed that comeback fight to answer a setback throughout the season.
Sacred Heart had a slow start to the year while challenging itself with a tough non-league schedule. The Spartans lost to Syosset, 55-34, in their first game of the season and Syosset went on to win the Nassau Class AAA title. They fell to Manhasset, which won the Long Island Class A crown last year and fell in the Nassau Class AA final this season, in the second game of the season in a 49-40 contest. They also suffered a three-game losing streak, dropping contests to Baldwin, St. Dominic and St. Mary’s (Manhasset) during a 3-5 start to the season.
But the Spartans rallied together and ended the regular season on a seven-game winning streak. They had the No. 3 seed in the Nassau-Suffolk CHSAA playoffs, defeating…
Read the full article here
Leave a Reply