Saranac at Portland St. Patrick – – CMAC Boys Co-Game of the Week – – The Bleacher Denizen – – January 18, 2024 – – by Chuck Krafft

Tonight, your Bleacher Denizen is venturing out in the cold. As there have been a lot of cancellations due to weather lately, there are a lot of games to be rescheduled. Thus, Saranac’s Boys will play St. Patrick’s boys in the first game tonight and Dansville’s girls will play St. Patrick’s girls in the second game. Your Bleacher Denizen has brought ice skates in case he needs them in the parking lot. (You have to be fast to escape a marauding polar bear if one is in the frigid parking lot.)

As we get ready for the game, I hope we can warm up with this version of “Amazing Grace” from my You Tube Channel! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=blOrsQkhhf0

St. Patrick’s Shamrocks are 3-3 in the CMAC and have a 4-5 overall record. Brayden Simon is an excellent athlete who has the ball handling skills and quickness to play on the perimeter, but he has the size and athletic ability to be intimidating in the post as well. He is able to score on putbacks, slashes to the basket and from the three point line with regularity. He is a fine defender and rebounder as well.

Jerryd Scheurer is a point guard who is already in his second year of starting for the varsity even though he is just in ninth grade. He is extremely quick and competitive and has a great basketball IQ. He is a rugged perimeter defender, a fine ball handler, a good passer and able to score from the three point line or on slashes to the basket.

Brady Leonard is a strong three point shooter and perimeter defender. Landon Simpson is essentially another point guard who moves the wall well, defends persistently on the perimeter and can hit from the three point line. Charlie Thelen is possibly the team’s best scorer as he is big enough to get putbacks, handles the ball well enough to go to the basket and can get really hot from the three point line.

Devin Cook defends and rebounds well in the post. Nathan Fears is a tough on-ball defender whose overall perimeter defense is excellent.

Saranac’s Red Hawks are 2-4 in the CMAC and 3-7 overall. Sam Sterzick is a fine perimeter defender who is a versatile scorer. He is at home slashing to the basket or shooting the three point shot. Cody Whipple is a tough perimeter defender with a sweet three point shot. Hunter Helminski is a tough, hardy defender who can defend on the perimeter or in the post. He is an excellent cross country runner, so his stamina is top notch!

Lucas Hetherington is the Red Hawk big man. He patrols the paint where he defends and rebounds well. Jordan Dodge is an excellent post defender and rebounder. In addition to scoring well in the paint, he brings a quality three point shot to his team. Max Olsen is a dependable perimeter defender who can hit from the three point line or slash to the basket.

Brody Stanton handles the ball well and is a good perimeter defender. Brayden Griffin is a strong post defender and rebounder who can hit outside shots. Elijah Lauer is a strong post defender and rebounder who slashes to the basket well.

It is now time to review the events of this contest through the occasionally clear lenses of an aging Bleacher Denizen who was never able to escape church league when he attempted to play back in the times when he was considered to be “young.” Alas, he was never completely able to understand that the coach was not being complimentary when he spoke of your Bleacher Denizen’s “matador defense.” (I realize this term may send some of our younger readers to Google.)

The coach lost his patience after a couple times when the Bleacher Denizen shouted, “Ole” as his man careened past him on an easy path to the basket and your Bleacher Denizen’s playing time was cut drastically.

St. Patrick wins the opening tap. The Shamrocks miss a threeball from the side. Saranac misses a layup. Jordan Dodge pulls down the offensive rebound for the Red Hawks. Saranac misses a layup. St. Patrick misfires on a threeball from the side. The Shamrocks get the offensive rebound. Jerryd Scheurer hits a three point shot from the wing to give St. Patrick a 3-0 lead.

Brady Leonard steals the ball for the Shamrocks. St. Patrick misses a layup. Brady Leonard knocks the ball out of bounds; Saranac retains possession. Saranac misses a six foot shot from the side of the lane. St. Patrick misses a driving layup. Saranac misses a three pointer from the side. Brayden Simon drives and dishes the ball to Brady Leonard, who hits a three pointer from the corner to give the Shamrocks a 6-0 lead.

Lucas Hetherington hits a layup to give Saranac its first two points. Sam Sterzick steals the ball for the Red Hawks. Saranac misfires on a triple try from the wing. St. Patrick misfires on a triple try from the corner. Nathan Fears gets the offensive rebound for the Shamrocks. Charlie Thelen hits a three point shot from the wing to give St. Patrick a 9-2 lead.

Saranac misses an eight foot shot from the side of the lane. St. Patrick misses a three pointer from the corner. Saranac launches a pass out of bounds. St. Patrick reciprocates and launches a pass out of bounds. Saranac turns the ball over. The Shamrocks miss a runner in the lane. Devin Cook hits a putback to give his Shamrocks an 11-2 lead.

Saranac misses a banked runner. Sam Sterzick steals the ball and hits a layup for the Red Hawks. Saranac presses and St. Patrick throws the ball out of bounds. Charlie Thelen blocks a Red Hawk layup. St. Patrick misses a driving layup. Gabe Wernet pulls down the offensive rebound for St. Patrick. The Shamrocks miss a threeball from the wing. Jerryd Scheurer steals the ball for the Shamrocks. St. Patrick throws an outlet pass too far and out of bounds. Sam Sterzick passes to a Red Hawk teammate, who is fouled on a shot, but misses both his free throws. With 2:19 remaining in the opening quarter, St. Patrick has an 11-4 lead.

St. Patrick misses a three point shot from the corner. Saranac is fouled on a driving layup, but misses two free throws. Brady Leonard passes to Charlie Thelen, who hits a layup for the Shamrocks. Landon Simpson steals the ball and hits a fast break layup to give the Shamrocks a 15-4 lead.

Charlie Thelen knocks the ball away from Saranac, but Jordan Dodge alertly corrals the loose ball for the Red Hawks and hits a layup. Jerryd Scheurer hits a layup for St. Patrick. Sam Sterzick drives and dishes the ball to Lucas Hetherington, who hits a layup for Saranac to trim the St. Patrick lead to 17-8.

Jerryd Scheurer throws a long pass over the Saranac press to Charlie Thelen, who hits a layup for St. Patrick. Lucas Hetherington hits a six foot hook shot from the baseline for Saranac. St. Patrick is fouled with just one second left; there is some discussion about what to do. St. Patrick gets the ball with one second left. Jerryd Scheurer inbounds the ball to Charlie Thelen, who hits a three point shot as the buzzer sounds.

After one quarter, St. Patrick has a 22-10 lead.

Saranac inbounds the ball to open the second quarter. The Red Hawks miss a layup. St. Patrick is fouled on a driving layup, but misses two free throws. Brody Stanton passes to Lucas Hetherington, who spins and banks in a six foot banked hook shot for Saranac. St. Patrick misses a layup. Brayden Simon hits a putback for the Shamrocks. Sam Sterzick is fouled on a driving banked hook shot and hits two free throws to trim the Shamrock lead to 24-14 with 6:24 left on the first half clock.

Landon Simpson drives and dishes the ball to Brayden Simon, who hits a three point shot from the corner for St. Patrick. Brayden Griffin passes to Lucas Hetherington, who hits a layup for Saranac. Sam Sterzick knocks the ball away from St. Patrick and Brody Stanton picks it up for Saranac. Saranac loses the ball out of bounds. Charlie Thelen is fouled on a driving layup and hits one of his two free throws to give St. Patrick a 28-16 lead with 5:03 left in the first half.

Saranac misses a layup; St. Patrick fouls on the rebound. (OK, that was actually a Shamrock player, not the Saint himself.) Elijah Lauer passes to Sam Sterzick, who hits a layup for the Red Hawks. St. Patrick commits a traveling violation. Saranac has a three point basket voided by a traveling violation. St. Patrick misses a ten foot shot in the lane. Charlie Thelen steals a Red Hawk pass. Charlie Thelen passes to Landon Simpson, who hits a fast break layup to give St. Patrick a 30-18 lead.

Charlie Thelen blocks a Saranac threeball from the corner. St. Patrick misfires on a threeball from the side. Devin Cook gets the offensive rebound for the Shamrocks. St. Patrick throws a pass out of bounds. Saranac misses a three pointer from the baseline. Sam Sterzick gets back quickly on defense to foil a Shamrock fast break. He knocks the ball out of bounds off a Shamrock player and the Red Hawks get the ball. Sam Sterzick hits a fast break layup, is fouled and makes his free throw. With 2:43 to play in the first half, St. Patrick’s lead is at 30-21.

St. Patrick misses a driving layup. Saranac missess a three pointer from the wing. Sam Sterzick throws the rebound off a Shamrock player and the Red Hawks get another possession. Saranac misse a three point shot from the side. Elijah Lauer gets the offensive rebound and bounces it in one motion to Lucas Hetherington, who hits a layup to cut the St. Patrick lead to 30-23.

St. Patrick misses a fifteen foot shot from the baseline. Saranac misses a three pointer from the top of the key; Lucas Hetheringon gets twp offensive rebounds and hits a putback for the Red Hawks. Hunter Helminski steals the ball for Saranac. Jerryd Scheurer steals the ball for St. Patrick. Jerryd Scheurer passes to Brady Leonard, who relays the ball to Charlie Thelen, who hits a layup to give St. Patrick a 32-25 lead.

Brayden Simon steals a Red Hawk pass. St. Patrick misses a three point shot from the corner. Same Sterzick is fouled and hits two free throws for Saranac with 9.5 seconds to go in the half. Lucas Hetherington steals the ball for Saranac. The Red Hawks miss a long three pointer from the wing as the halftime buzzer alerts us to its presence.

St. Patrick has a 32-27 lead at halftime.

Lucas Hetherington has 14 points and Sam Sterzick has 11 points to lead Saranac’s scoring at halftime.

Charlie Thelen has 10 points and Braden Simon has 8 points for St. Patrick.

As there is no halftime entertainment, I hope you will enjoy a couple original tunes from my You Tube Channel!

“A Man Like Me” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GTdeYRUEOkc

“It’s Peaceful Here” (I wrote the song and sang the harmonies. My good buddy Mark Wilcox handles the lead vocal.) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=147XD8IvqA4

St. Patrick inbounds the ball to get the third quarter underway. Jordan Dodge knocks the ball out of bounds and Saranac takes possession. Saranac drives and dishes a pass out of bounds. St. Patrick turns the ball over. Saranac misses a layup. Hunter Helminski gets the offensive rebound for the Red Hawks. Saranac misses a three point shot from the wing. The rebound goes out of bounds and St. Patrick takes possession. Brady Leonard passes to Charlie Thelen, who hits a three pointer from the corner to give the Shamrocks a 35-27 lead.

Jerryd Scheurer nearly steals the ball for St. Patrick, but can’t keep the ball in bounds. Saranac misses a ten foot shot from the side. Cody Whipple gets the offensive rebound for the Red Hawks. Saranac misses a three point shot from the wing. Lucas Hetherington hits a putback for Saranac. Jordan Dodges steals the ball for the Red Hawks. Lucas Hetherington hits a layup to chop the St. Patrick lead to 35-31.

St. Patrick misses a three point shot from the side. Charlie Thelen grabs the offensive rebound and passes to Jerryd Scheurer, who hits a three point shot from the wing for the Shamrocks. Cody Whipple makes a great save of a loose ball to prevent a Red Hawk turnover. Saranac misses a driving layup. Jerryd Scheurer passes to Charlie Thelen, who hits a layup to boost the St. Patrick lead to 40-31.

Jerryd Scheurer steals the ball and passes to Brayden Simon, who hits a fast break lyaup for St. Patrick. Landon Simpson knocks the ball off a Saranac player; it goes out of bounds and St. Patrick takes possession. St. Patrick misses an eight footer from the side. The ball briefly gets away from Saranac, but Jordan Dodge grabs it and hits a layup for Saranac. Landon Simpson passes to Charlie Thelen, who is hammered to the floor as he shoots a layup. Charlie Thelen hits one of his two free throws to give St. Patrick a 43-33 lead with 3:39 remaining in quarter number three.

Saranac misses a three point shot from the corner. St. Patrick misses a three point shot from the wing and fouls on the rebound. Landon Simpson steals a Saranac pass and hits a fast break layup. He is fouled on the play, but misses his free throw. Charlie Thelen is fouled on a putback and hits one of his two free throws for the Shamrocks. With 2:33 to play in the quarter, St. Patrick’s lead is at 46-33.

Saranac misses a driving banked shot. Brody Stanton gets the offensive rebound for the Red Hawks. Saranac misses a layup. The rebound goes out of bounds and St. Patrick gets the ball. Devin Cook passes to Jerryd Scheurer, who hits a fast break layup for St. Patrick. Devin Cook knocks a Red Hawk pass into the lane out of bounds. Saranac retains possession. Jerryd Scheurer steals the ball for the Shamrocks. Jordan Dodge steals the ball for Saranac and hits a fast break layup to trim the St. Patrick lead to 48-35.

Jerryd Scheurer passes to Charlie Thelen, who hits a three point shot from the wing for St. Patrick. Charlie Thelen knocks the ball away from the Red Hawks, but Saranac is able to recover. The Red Hawks miss a threeball from the wing; St. Patrick fouls on the rebound. Brayden Simon knocks the Red Hawk inbound pass out of bounds; Saranac retains possession. Saranac misses a three point shot from the side at the buzzer.

After three quarters, St. Patrick has a 51-35 lead.

Saranac inbounds the ball to start the fourth quarter. Brayden Simon steals the ball for the Shamrocks and passes to Brady Leonard, who hits a fast break layup for St. Patrick. Devin Cook harasses a Red Hawk ball handler and knocks the ball out of bounds; Saranac retains possesssion. Cody Whipple passes to Sam Sterzick, who hits a layup for Saranac to trim the St. Patrick lead to 53-37.

St. Patrick misses a driving layup. Saranac misses a threeball from the wing and fouls on the rebound. St. Patrick misses a three point shot from the side. The rebound goes out of bounds and Saranac takes possession. Charlie Thelen steals the ball, goes coast to coast and hits a layup for St. Patrick. Saranac misses a ten foot shot from the side. Brady Leonard passes to Charlie Thelen, who is fouled on a layup and hits two free throws to boost the Shamrock lead to 57-37 with 5:24 left on the clock.

Landon Simpson knocks the ball out of bounds; Saranac retains posssession. Lucas Hetherington passes the ball out to Sam Sterzick, who hits a three point shot near the top of the key for Saranac. Saranac’s defense prevents St. Patrick from getting the ball over the mid court line in the required ten seconds and the Shamrocks turn it over. Landon Simpson knocks the ball away from a Red Hawk dribbler and out of bounds; Saranac retains possession. Max Olsen passes to Lucas Hetherington who hits a layup to trim the St. Patrick lead to 57-42.

St. Patrick throws a pass out of bounds. Saranac misses a three point shot from the side. Brayden Griffin steals the ball for Saranc. Lucas Hetherington is fouled on a layup and hits one of his two free throws. With 3:05 to go, St. Patrick has a 57-43 lead.

St. Patrick misses a three point shot from the wing. Jerryd Scheurer knocks the ball away from Saranac and Devin Cook grabs it for St. Patrick. Brody Stanton steals the ball for the Red Hawks. Sam Sterzick is fouled on a fast break layup and hits one of his two free throws to trim the Shamrock lead to 57-44 with 2:12 left in the game.

Sam Sterzick knocks the ball away from St. Patrick and Brayden Griffin picks it up for Saranac. Brayden Griffin returns the ball to Sam Sterzick, who hits a fast break layup for the Red Hawks. Brady Leonard drives and hits a layup for St. Patrick. He is fouled on the play, but misses his free throw. With 1:47 to play, St. Patrick has a 59-46 lead.

Jerryd Scheurer gets the offensive rebound for St. Patrick. Brady Leonard passes to Charlie Thelen, who hits a layup for the Shamrocks. Saranac misses a three point shot from the side. Lucas Hetherington steals a Shamrock pass. Saranac misses a layup. The Red Hawks get the offensive rebound and pass to Brayden Griffin, who hits a three point shot from the wing for Saranac. Tyler Groothuis is fouled and hits one of his two free throws for the Shamrocks. With 22.3 seconds left, St. Patrick has a 62-49 lead.

Brayden Griffin passes to a Lucas Hetherington, who is fouled on a layup and hits one of his two free throws. Tait Anible gets the offensive rebound and banks in a shot from the side. St. Patrick runs out the last couple seconds on the clock.

St. Patrick wins this CMAC matchup by a 62-52 score.

Lucas Hetherington had 22 points to lead the Saranac scoring. Sam Sterzick supported his teammate with 19 points. Jordan Dodge added 6 points. Brayden Griffin scored 3 points and Tait Anible tallied 2 points.

Charlie Thelen led the victorious St. Patrick squad with 26 points. Jerryd Scheurer and Brayden Simon each chipped in with 10 points. Brady Leonard contributed 7 points and Landon Simpson scored 6 points. Devin Cook added 2 points and Tyler Groothuis had 1 point.

St. Patrick’s girls played Dansville in the second game of the night. Here is the play by play of that game!
https://thebleacherdenizen.com/2024/01/19/dansville-at-portland-st-patrick-cmac-girls-basketball-game-of-the-week-the-bleacher-denizen-january-18-2024-by-chuck-krafft/