The Sacred Heart boys basketball team faced its final challenge last Friday night at Alumni Hall.
The top-seeded Hearts took on third-seeded Naugatuck in the NVL tournament final at Alumni Hall, but it was more than that. Sacred Heart was playing the final game in the history of its program, its school and the gym it had called home since the early 2000s. That’s a lot to think about, but the Heart players and coaches have had a lot on their plates since the COVID-19 pandemic began.
Losing out on a state tournament run in March 2020 was tough enough. On Feb. 11 this year, another major issue cropped up. The Archdiocese of Hartford and Sacred Heart announced that the school will be closing at the end of the 2020-21 academic year.
Throughout all of the stress, there was one constant for the Hearts — basketball. Even though the season was shortened by COVID-19 and there was no state tournament to play, Sacred Heart still got the chance to play. Last Friday night, the Hearts got one last chance at a championship, and they didn’t let it slip by. Sacred Heart defeated Naugatuck, 57-50, in a game that was tight until the final minute. With the victory, the Hearts captured their 17th and final NVL championship. Tre Duncan was named tournament MVP.
Here were the final scoring stats for Sacred Heart, which finished 14-0: Connor Tierney 7 points; Steve Alseph 7; Johnny Pierce 6; Quentin Duncan 11; Tre Duncan 12; Jordan Elliott 13; Sheriff Bilewu 6.
GALLERY: Here are my photos from the game.
