HOUGHTON LAKE - The Mt. Pleasant Sacred Heart Irish broke the game open with a 12-0 run spanning the end of the first quarter and the first part of the second quarter, as they opened up a lead that they would not relinquish on the way to a 63-51 division four quarterfinal victory over Glen Lake on Tuesday evening.
“Unbelievable game,” Irish head coach Justin Sherlock said. “Glen Lake is a really, really good team. They’re well-coached. We knew it was going to be a battle, but our kids all year, they’ve just fought hard every game.”
After a Benji Allen layup with about 2:30 left in the first quarter pulled the Lakers within a point, 10-9, the Irish ripped off the next 12 points to build a 22-9 advantage and send the red-clad fans into a frenzy.
“I mean that’s one of the best feelings besides winning at the end of the game,” Sacred Heart sophomore Noah Zeien said about the big Irish run in the first half.
The Irish would head into the locker room at halftime with an 11-point lead, 36-25.
Glen Lake would whittle away at that lead in the third quarter, but they still trailed by eight points heading into the fourth quarter at 48-40.
A couple of quick baskets early in the fourth quarter pulled the Lakers within three points 48-45, but they could not get any closer, as the Irish were able to hold the Lakers’ offense at bay and sink their free throws down the stretch to preserve their victory.
Noah Zeien led a trio of Irish scorers in double figures with 19 in the contest. Grady Pieratt scored 17 and Brody Cherry added 13. Glen Lake’s Cooper Bufalini and Jacob Plamondon scored 18 points apiece to pace the Lakers’ offense.
The win sends the Sacred Heart to the Breslin Center in East Lansing on Thursday night, where they will meet Allen Park Inter-City Baptist in a Division Four State Semifinal.
“I’ve been thinking about it [going to the Breslin Center],” Irish junior Grady Pieratt said. “In middle school our school made a run there [to the semifinals], and I’ve been dreaming about it since. So, it’s an awesome feeling.”
