Mt. Pleasant Sacred Heart at Vestaburg – – Boys Basketball – – The Bleacher Denizen – – February 1, 2024 – – by Chuck Krafft

In this video of “Red River Valley” from my You Tube Channel, I explain to the listeners that you never know where the Red River Valley might lead you. One place it does not lead is Vestaburg High School, but fortunately, M-46 does – – with a bit of help from a couple local streets! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w03AhhNk1M8

The Vestaburg Wolverines will host the Irish from Mt. Pleasant Sacred Heart in boys’ basketball. Vestaburg enters the game with a 6-5 record in the Mid-State Activities Conference and is 8-7 overall. Sacred Heart has a perfect 12-0 record in the MSAC and is 14-1 overall.

Vestaburg Coach Ty Warczinsky helped me with some background information about his Wolverine players. Jansen Scholer is a fine perimeter defender and a scorer who can shoot the threeball or slash to the basket. Keegan Beetley has brings a sweet three point shot to the Wolverines. Landon Arntz is a versatile defender who can cover opponents in the paint or on the perimeter. Brehm Warczinsky is the team’s leading scorer; he is able to shoot the threeball or slash to the basket effectively.

Jacob Nickerson is a strong perimeter defender. Trevor Patch is a strong post defender who can score with excellent post moves. Dakota Waldron is an energetic and persistent perimeter defender. Jace Janofski and Jayden Hilding defend well in the post and are solid rebounders. Kofee Arntz is a dependable post defender. Kolton Kilmer is a threat from the three point line. Austin Wichert is a dependable perimeter defender.

Sacred Heart Coach Justin Sherlock provided this information about his Irish players. Noah Zeien is an excellent all-around guard who has great poise and a strong basketball IQ. He is an excellent scorer who can either slash to the basket or hit from the three point line. He is an excellent ball handler and passer. Grady Pieratt is also a complete guard who can defend on the perimeter, hit the three point shot and slash to the basket while handling the ball well and getting the ball to his teammates. He is also a strong free throw shooter.

Aiden Halliday is in his fourth year starting for the Irish. He is a formidable presence in the post on defense or offense. His athletic ability makes him hard to stop near the basket. Jason Boge is an excellent post defender and rebounder who is versatile enough to defend the perimeter as well. He is a solid shooter inside or outside. Luke Taylor is a good three point shooter and perimeter defender. Joe McDonald is a fine defensive player with a great basketball IQ.

I was able to watch the JV game. Sacred Heart got out to a 17-15 lead after one quarter and led 24-21 at halftime. Vestaburg outscored the Irish 11-9 in the third quarter and trailed by just one point at 33-32 going into the final quarter.

With 3:39 left in the game, Kofee Arntz hit a ten foot runner in the lane for Vestaburg to tie the game at 36-36. Hank MacDonald hit a layup to put Sacred Heart back on top. Kolton Kilmer hit a three point shot from the wing to give the Wolverines a 39-38 lead. A bit later, Kofee Arntz passed to Austin Wichert, who hit a layup to give Vestaburg a three point lead.

Nathan Siler drove and hit a layup for Sacred Heart to cut the lead to one point. He was fouled a bit later and split a pair of free throws to tie the game at 41-41 with 2:13 to go. Logan Avery passed to Kofee Arntz, who scored the final basket of the game for Vestaburg with about 1:30 remaining. The teams traded possessions after that; the game finally ended when a Sacred Heart three point shot at the buzzer was unsuccessful. Vestaburg won the JV game 43-41.

Nathan Siler led the Sacred Heart JVs with 16 points. Jack Sieszputowski contributed 11 points. Cody DedJong and Mark Karimi each pitched in with 4 points. Hank MacDonald, Isiah Greenacre and Joey Endres each added 2 points.

Kofee Arntz led the victorious Vestaburg JVs with 18 points. Kolton Kilmer pitched in with 12 points. Austin Wichert tossed in 8 points. Corbin Waldron scored 3 points and Ethan Walker tallied 2 points.

It is now time to look at the results of the varsity game through the occasionally alert eyes of an Aging Bleacher Denizen who was never able to escape church league in the days of yore when he attempted to play basketball. He was showing some promise as a three point shooter, but his career was severely hampered when the Basketball Powers That Be forced him to stop using a catapult to launch his shots.

Sacred Heart wins the opening tap. The Irish miss a layup. Grady Pieratt pulls down the offensive rebound for Sacred Heart. Sacred Heart commits an over and back violation. Vestaburg misfires on a three point shot from the corner. Jason Boge passes to an Irish teammate who is fouled on a layup, but misses both free throws. Noah Zeien picks up the long offensive rebound and tosses in a threeball from the wing to give the Irish the first three points of the game.

Vestaburg misses a three point shot from the corner. Sacred Heart misses a threeball from the wing. Luke Taylor hits a putback for the Irish. Brehm Warczinsky hits a three point shot from the wing to trim the Irish lead to 5-3.

Aiden Halliday takes a short drive and hooks in a layup for the Irish. Brehm Warczinsky throws in a threeball from the wing for Vestaburg to cut the Irish lead to one point. Sacred Heart misses a driving layup; the rebound goes out of bounds and the Irish get another opportunity. Sacred Heart misses a three point shot from the corner. Jason Boge gets the offensive rebound for the Irish. Aiden Halliday hits a layup to give Sacred Heart a 9-6 lead.

Vestaburg misses a three point shot from the wing and fouls on the rebound. Aiden Halliday makes an excellent post move with a tight spin and hits a layup for the Irish as he is fouled. He misses his free throw. With 3:59 remaining in the first quarter, Sacred Heart has an 11-6 lead.

Luke Taylor pulls down the offensive rebound for the Irish. Grady Pieratt drives and hits a layup for Sacred Heart. Brehm Warczinsky passes to Keegan Beetley, who hits a long threeball from the side for Vestaburg. Noah Zeien passes to Grady Pieratt, who hits a three point shot from the top of the key for the Irish. Vestaburg throws a pass out of bounds. Luke Taylor inbounds the ball to Noah Zeien, who throws in a threeball from the top of the key to give Sacred Heart a 19-9 lead.

Grady Pieratt knocks a Wolverine pass out of bounds and the Irish take possession. Grady Pieratt banks in a three point shot near the top of the key for Sacred Heart. Brehm Warczinsky hits a three point shot from the wing for Vestaburg. Noah Zeien gets into the lane and hits a twelve foot shot for the Irish. Vestaburg misses a three point shot from the corner. Sacred Heart misses a three point shot from the side. Landon Arntz hits a three point shot from the top of the key for Vestaburg. Sacred Heart misses a three pointer from the corner as the first quarter buzzer announces its presence.

After one quarter, Sacred Heart has a 24-15 lead.

Vestaburg inbounds the ball to open the second quarter. The Wolverines miss a twelve footer off the dribble from the side of the lane. Sacred Heart misses a layup. Grady Pieratt gets the offensive rebound for the Irish. Noah Zeien passes to Brady Davis, who hits a three point shot from the corner for the Irish. Trevor Patch drives and hits a layup for Vestaburg to shave the Sacred Heart lead to 27-17.

Sacred Heart misses a jump shot from the free throw line and fouls on the rebound. Vestaburg misses a driving hook shot. Trevor Patch hits a putback for the Wolverines. Trevor Patch gets his hand on the ball; it goes out of bounds and the Irish retain possession. Grady Pieratt drives and hits a layup for Sacred Heart. Landon Arntz passes to Jakob Nickerson, who hits a reverse layup for Vestaburg to shave the Irish lead to 29-21.

Sacred Heart misses a fourteen footer in the lane; the Irish get the offensive rebound. Noah Zeien drives and hits a layup for the Irish. Grady Pieratt steals the ball and hits a fast break layup for Sacred Heart. Landon Arntz passes to Jansen Scholer, who hits a layup for the Wolverines. Grady Pieratt passes to Joe McDonald, who hits a layup for Sacred Heart. Vestaburg loses control of the ball and Noah Zeien picks it up for Sacred Heart. Sacred Heart misses a three point shot from the wing and fouls on the rebound. Jansen Scholer passes to Trevor Patch, who hits a layup to cut the Irish lead to 35-25.

Jansen Scholer taps the ball away from the Irish and Keegan Beetley picks it up for the Wolverines. Vestaburg misfires on a triple try from the side. Sacred Heart reciprocates and misfires on a triple try from the side. The rebound goes out of bounds and Vestaburg takes possession. The Wolverines miss a driving layup and foul on the rebound. Sacred Heart misses a jump shot from the free throw elbow. Jason Boge is fouled on a putback and hits one of the two free throws to give Sacred Hear a 36-25 lead with 1:49 remaining in the opening half.

Noah Zeien taps the ball away from Vestaburg and Aiden Halliday picks it up for Sacred Heart. Aiden Halliday hits a layup for Sacred Heart. A Vestaburg dribbler loses the ball out of bounds. Sacred Heart turns the ball over. Aiden Halliday knocks the ball away from Vestaburg and Grady Pieratt picks it up for Sacred Heart. Sacred Heart holds the ball for the last shot. Jason Boge drives, spins a couple times and hits a layup just as the buzzer sounds.

At halftime, Sacred Heart has a 40-25 lead. If basketball traditions are upheld, the Irish will also have this lead at the start of the third quarter.

Brehm Warczinsky has 9 points to lead Vestaburg’s scoring at halftime and Trevor Patch has 6 points.

Grady Pieratt has 12 points to lead Sacred Heart. Noah Zeien has 10 points and Aiden Halliday has 8 points.

The Vestaburg third and fourth grade girls played an intramural game on the big court at halftime to entertain the fans.

For those of you who are not able to watch the halftime activities, I hope you will enjoy these two tunes from my You Tube Channel!!
“This Land is Your Land” is a patriotic I sing with my good buddy Mark Wilcox, who handles most of the lead vocals! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GQ9XoJtKIbE

“Blues Stay Away from Me” is a vintage Blues song written by the Delmore brothers that I cover here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9TtsKUnqw7g

Sacred Heart tosses the ball inbounds to get quarter number three underway. Jakob Nickerson knocks the ball away from Sacred Heart and Jansen Scholer picks it up for Vestaburg. Jansen Scholer passes to Trevor Patch, who hits a layup for Vestaburg. Sacred Heart misses a three point shot from the wing. The rebound goes out of bounds and Vestaburg takes possession. Vestaburg misses a three point shot from the wing. Noah Zeien dribbles to the free throw line, leaps high and throws in a jump shot to give the Irish a 42-27 lead.

Jansen Scholar passes to Trevor Patch, who hits a layup for Vestaburg. Sacred Heart misses a three point shot from the wing. Aiden Halliday is fouled on a putback and hits one of his two free throws for the Irish. Jansen Scholer is fouled on a ten foot shot off the dribble from the baseline. He hits two free throws to trim the Sacred Heart lead to 43-31 with 5:46 remaining in the third quarter.

Sacred Heart misses a six foot shot in the lane. Grady Pieratt steals the ball for Vestaburg and passes to Jason Boge for an Irish layup. Vestaburg misses a deriving layup. Sacred Heart misses a threeball from the side; Vestaburg fouls on the rebound. Luke Taylor passes to Jason Boge, who hits a three point shot from the wing for Sacred Heart. Vestaburg misses a sixteen footer off the dribble from the side. Grady Pieratt is fouled on a three point shot and hits all three free throws to boost his Irish to a 51-31 lead.

Noah Zeien ties up the ball for the Irish. The Possession Arrow and its Horticultural Committee vote to ignore Mr. Zeien’s fine defense and award the ball to Vestaburg. The Wolverines miss a three point shot from the side. The Irish reciprocate and miss a three point shot from the side. Vestaburg misses a sixteen foot shot from the side. Sacred Heart misses a fast break layup. Aiden Halliday gets the offensive rebound for the Irish. Sacred Heart misses a layup and Vestaburg fouls on the rebound.

Sacred Heart misses a twelve foot shot from the side of the lane and fouls on the rebound. Vestaburg is whistled for an offensive foul. Brady Davis drives and hits a layup for Sacred Heart. Jansen Scholer passes to Landon Arntz, who hits a three point shot from the side for Vestaburg. Jansen Scholer plays tough defense in the lane and forces an Irish traveling violation. Vestaburg misses a threeball from the wing. Keegan Beetley gets the offensive rebound for the Wolverines. Noah Zeien steals the ball and hits a fast break layup to boost the Irish to a 55-34 lead.

Noah Zeien blocks a Vestaburg triple try from the top of the key. Sacred Heart misses a fast break layup and fouls on the rebound. Vestaburg misses a threeball from the side. Sacred Heart misses a three point shot from the wing as the buzzer announces the end of the third quarter.

With three quarters in the books, Sacred Heart has a 55-34 lead.

Sacred Heart has the ball to open the final quarter. Grady Pieratt passes to Aiden Halliday, who hits a layup for the Irish. Grady Pieratt steals the ball for the Irish. Trevor Patch knocks the ball away from Sacred Heart and Jansen Scholer picks it up for Vestaburg. Vestaburg misses a threeball near the top of the key. Jakob Nickerson pulls down the offensive rebound for the Wolverines.

Vestaburg misses a layup. Sacred Heart misses a three point shot from the corner. Aiden Halliday gets the offensive rebound for the Irish. Sacred Heart misses a three point attempt near the top of the key. Vestaburg commits an offensive foul. Sacred Heart misses a three point shot from the corner. Noah Zeien steals the ball for the Irish. Landon Arntz blocks a Sacred Heart layup and forces a tieup as he does it. The Possession Arrow loves the defensive execution and awards the ball to Vestaburg.

The Wolverines misfires on a three pointer from the top of the key. Jakob Nickerson gets the offensive rebound for the Wolverines. Landon Arntz drives and dishes the ball to Trevor Patch, who hits a layup to shave the Irish lead to 57-36.

Sacred Heart runs the clock for a bit, then misses a three point shot from the wing. Vestaburg misses a three point shot from the top of the key. Sacred Heart misses a three point shot from the side. Aiden Halliday gets the offensive rebound for the Irish. After a timeout, Dakota Waldron’s defense forces an Irish traveling violation. Brehm Warczinsky hits a driving layup for Vestaburg. Luke Hacker is fouled and hits two free throws for Sacred Heart to give the Irish a 59-38 lead with 41.5 seconds left on the clock.

Jansen Scholer passes to Brehm Warczinsky, who hits a three point shot from the side for Vestaburg. Sacred Heart runs out the clock.

Sacred Heart wins this game by a 59-41 score to stay undefeated in the MSAC.

Brehm Warczinsky led the Vestaburg scoring with 14 points. Trevor Patch joined his teammate in double figures with 12 points. Landon Arntz tossed in two threeballs for 6 points. Jansen Scholer contributed 4 points. Keegan Beetley added 3 points and Jakob Nickerson tallied 2 points.

Grady Pieratt led the Sacred Heart scoring with 15 points. Noah Zeien contributed 14 points and Aiden Halliday chipped in with 11 points. Jason Boge notched 8 points. Brady Davis scored 5 points. Joe McDonald, Luke Hacker and Luke Taylor each had 2 points.