[private]Just two seasons removed from its state semifinals appearance, Mt. Pleasant Sacred Heart tried to use the Division 4 boys basketball district at Breckenridge as a launching pad for another postseason run.
The hosts wouldn’t go down without a fight, however, as last Friday’s district final was not decided until the final minute, with the Irish escaping their MSAC rival with a 41-36 win.
The Huskies cut Sacred Heart’s lead to 38-36 when freshman Noah Barr sunk a three-pointer fading out of bounds from the left-hand corner. SHA went to 6-foot-6, 285-pound Josiah Howell on the blocks where he was fouled and made one-of-two free throws for a 39-36 lead.
Breckenridge had a good look for a would-be tying three-pointer from Gavin Long but it didn’t drop with 20 seconds left. Sacred Heart’s Grady Pieratt sunk two ensuing foul shots for the final margin.
Howell’s size was an issue for Breckenridge, who gave up offensive rebound to he and other Irish. SHA went straight to Howell on the block on a sidelines out-of-bounds after a timeout, for a 36-31 lead with 1:30 left in the game.
Sacred Heart led 21-16 at halftime and 31-27 going into the fourth quarter, but that lead didn’t last long, as Long started the period with a steal and layup.
Jaxon Laubscher scored 17 points for the Huskies, who beat Vestaburg 58-34 in the district semifinal and finish the season 14-10.
Aidan Halliday led Sacred Heart with 11 points. The Irish, 18-6, beat Peck in Monday’s Divisoin 4 regional semifinal, 63-49, and was to play Hillman for the regional title on Wednesday.
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