The Sacred Heart boys basketball team showed why it’s ranked No. 1 in the New Haven Register/GameTimeCT sports writers poll on Friday night at sold-out Alumni Hall.
And there was nothing Kennedy, ranked 14th, could do about it.
The Hearts rode the efforts of Mustapha Heron (35 points, 12 rebounds), Tyrn Flowers (24 points, 6 rebounds) and John Riddick (13 points, 13 rebounds, 3 blocks) to a 96-49 rout of the Eagles and improved to 6-0. Kennedy dropped to 4-1. The Eagles were led by Darryl Flowers, who had 26 points and 6 rebounds. Those stats were from Joe Palladino of the Waterbury Republican-American.
What was impressive about Sacred Heart was its defense around the rim. Outside of one rim-rattling putback slam by Darryl Flowers, Kennedy couldn’t get much done inside.
The length of the Hearts proved to be a big problem throughout the night. First, you have to get through the trap defense that Sacred Heart sets up. If you break the trap, your ordeal is far from over.
Sacred Heart reached double digits in blocked shots with Riddick and Tyrn Flowers leading the charge underneath. Darryl Flowers battled throughout the game, yet he had several shots rejected by the taller Hearts. CPTV Sports had the live broadcast of the game online, and there were times where it looked like a Kennedy player had a clean lane to the hoop. Much more often than that, the lane closed and the shot was rejected or altered.
Sacred Heart’s length will be a major problem for every team it faces this season.
On the other side, Kennedy will be fine. The Eagles, not unlike every other Heart opponent so far, were blown out of the gym, but they are a good team. Kennedy will be a tough out for most teams in the NVL this season. They just happened to run into a juggernaut that has won 38 straight games. And just like everyone else during that streak, they walked out of the gym with a ‘L’.
What’s next:
Sacred Heart — The Hearts go to Beacon falls next Monday for a game against Woodland at 7 p.m. After that, it’s three games in three states in four days, starting with next Friday’s showdown against Crosby at Alumni Hall. Sacred Heart goes to Springfield College in Massachusetts for the Hoophall Classic and a matchup with California power Foothills Christian on Jan. 16 at approximately 7:45 p.m. (Ironically, No. 2 Weaver plays in the next game at around 9:30 against St. Raymond High School of New York.) On Jan. 18, the Hearts play Long Island Lutheran at about 5:45 p.m. at Baruch College in New York in the Big Apple Basketball H.S. Invitational.
Kennedy — Do you really want to play the Eagles after what happened tonight? Kaynor Tech gets that unenviable task next Monday at home at 7 p.m. when it hosts Kennedy. After Kaynor, Kennedy hosts Wilby next Wednesday at 7 p.m.
