The boys basketball team defeated the Sacred Heart Gators in a heated match, winning 54-41 on Tuesday night.
M-A started on defense, but quickly gained possession after aggressive pressure by the Bears forced the Gators into a shot clock violation. Senior point guard Jacob Sutton worked the ball around, passing to senior small forward Jerry Williams, who launched a three-pointer to give M-A an early 3-2 lead. Despite a sloppy foul that gave the Gators two free throws, they were unable to convert on either, allowing the Bears to stay ahead.
The score narrowed to 5-4 after a layup from the Gators, but Sutton continued to be strong and keep the defensive pressure on Sacred Heart. Soon after, senior shooting guard Bryce Winters finished a layup with 2:40 on the clock to extend M-A’s lead to 7-4.
For the next few minutes, the Bears struggled to score as multiple shots didn’t fall. Nevertheless, senior center Aiden Atkins dominated the boards, getting numerous rebounds to keep the ball in the Bears’ hands. In the final seconds, Atkins secured yet another rebound, making way for Sutton to score to end the quarter up 9-4.
M-A opened the second quarter with great ball movement and passing, but early shot attempts couldn’t find their way in. Even so, Atkins remained a force to be reckoned with on the boards to give M-A many second-chance opportunities.
To break the dry spell, Williams scored to extend the lead to 11-4. However, the Gators responded with a layup just a few seconds later, cutting it to 11-6.
With 5:46 left on the clock, Williams successfully finished a layup, but the Gators answered a minute later with a tough basket. After some more back-and-forth play, Sutton found a gap in the Gators’ zone defense and drove to get a bucket in the paint with two minutes left in the half. Sacred Heart refused to fall too far behind and scored again to bring the tally to 15-11.
Even so, M-A was determined to finish the half strong. Refusing to let the Gators gain any momentum, Auer weaved through defenders to make a contested shot with a minute on the clock, extending the lead to 17–11.
In the final seconds, the Gators pressured M-A, forcing hurried passes and difficult shots. However, the Bears held strong, as Williams stole the ball and sprinted the length of the court, and in a quick move, finished a fast break layup to push the lead to 19-11.
The gym erupted as the Bears went into halftime with confidence, having closed the quarter with a commanding play that showcased both their speed and poise under pressure.
The third quarter opened with M-A maintaining their momentum and keeping pressure on the Gators. Sutton passed to Williams, who drove to the basket for a layup just 15 seconds in. Building off this energy, Williams scored again soon after, giving M-A a comfortable advantage.
The Bears stayed aggressive despite a three-pointer by Sacred Heart, which brought the score to 23-14. Auer found an opening near the basket and launched a precise pass to Sutton, who dodged his defenders to score a minute in. Immediately after, the Gators answered with a layup, keeping the game competitive with a tight score of 25-16.
After a quick timeout with just over five minutes remaining, Williams passed to Sutton, who was able to cash in a contested shot. In response, the Gators skillfully drew a foul and made one of two free throws, while M-A’s own attempts at the line fell short. With 3:17 left, Atkins delivered a thunderous dunk, hanging on the rim as the crowd roared. Sacred Heart scored again soon after, but the Bears stayed composed and remained brimming with energy.
To add fuel to the fire, Atkins grabbed a rebound and dunked again with two minutes remaining, asserting his immense offensive dominance. The Gators continued to fight, but Auer sank two free throws for the Bears. With less than a minute left, Williams scored another shot, closing the quarter with M-A having a controlling lead of 35-28.
The Bears came into the last quarter ready to win. Kicking off the scoring was Sutton, who found an opening for a layup to extend the lead to 38-28.
Following up, Atkins grabbed a rebound and put the ball in on a gritty putback, further stretching M-A’s advantage. A sequence of fast passes from Sutton to senior center Will Abdella set up a clean shot to bring the score to 42-32.
Both teams went back and forth, trading baskets in the final minutes. Determined to finish strong, Sutton and Williams orchestrated a clean passing sequence to get the ball to Abdella, who scored with a minute left to bring it to 50-41.
“We made a lot of mistakes, and they made a lot of mistakes, but we came out on top,” Williams said.
As neither team scored in the final seconds, the game concluded in a 54-41 victory for M-A.
“Ups and downs, they happen, but I think my favorite part was just getting a win,” Sutton said.
“It’s been a while since we beat SHP. The last time we beat them was like four years ago. So I guess it’s a pretty big team accomplishment to beat them,” Williams said.
The Bears will face off against Branson in the Ayers Gym on Wednesday evening at 6 p.m.
