Vestaburg at Mt. Pleasant Sacred Heart – – Boys Basketball – – The Bleacher Denizen – – January 8, 2026 – – by Chuck Krafft

Tonight, the BleacherDenizenMobile is pointed at Mt. Pleasant Sacred Heart High School, where the Irish boys basketball team will host the Wolverines from Vestaburg. Both teams are undefeated in the Mid-States Activities Conference and both teams are 6-2 overall, so this will be a significant game in the league standings!

Sacred Heart has an amazing gym decorated with dozens of banners honoring state championships and runner-up finishes in many sports. I’ve often wondered when Sacred Heart needs the gym repainted if the athletic director sends out for bids from painting contractors or if they just ask the coaches to earn another banner to cover the bare spot on the southwest wall.

While we wait for this game to start, I hope you will enjoy this cover video of “Four In The Morning” from my You Tube Channel!! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vwKDbxp-uuE

I have seen Sacred Heart once already this season. Irish Coach Justin Sherlock provided me with this information about his players.

Noah Zeien is a four year senior starter who was All-State in both his sophomore and junior seasons. He is a complete guard who defends the perimeter well and is an excellent ball handler and passer. When it is time to score, he can slash to the basket or stop his dribble on a dime and launch an accurate three point shot.

Brady Davis is a physically strong player who is a tough perimeter defender. He is a threat to score from the three point line and is also good slashing to the basket. Nate Siler is a versatile player who can defend in the post or on the perimeter. He can score in the lane and also can shoot the three point shot. Leelynd O’Connor is a freshman who is already strong enough to be a factor in the post where he rebounds and scores well.

Channing Sherlock is a freshman guard who frequently runs the point for the Irish. He is a good perimeter defender and ball handler who gives the Irish another threat from the three point line. Cody DeJong is an active perimeter defender who creates a lot of turnovers for the Irish opponents. Hank MacDonald is a good defender, rebounder and scorer in the post. Jaxon Moore defends the perimeter well and can hit the three point shot.

Vestaburg Coach Ty Warczinsky provided me with this information about his Wolverine players.

Jansen Scholer is an experienced guard who can defend in the post or on the perimeter. On offense, he can score from the three point line or slash to the basket. Brehm Warczinsky is a fine all around player who defends well on the perimeter and is a solid all-around player. However, he has incredible range on his outside shot and makes a high enough percentage where these thirty-five and forty-foot shots are actually good shots. It can be amazing to watch him shoot.

Brehm Warczinsky’s younger brother, Lucas Warczinsky is a freshman guard who handles the ball well and is a tough perimeter defender. He is a strong rebounder and drives to the basket well. Of course, he is a Warczinsky, which means he is also an accurate outside shooter with three point range. Kofee Arntz is a tough post defender and rebounder who can also guard opponents on the perimeter.

Kolton Kilmer is sets good screens, plays tough defense and can hit the three point shot. Jackson Kilmer is a fine rebounder who defends well on the wing. Walker Arntz is a good rebounder who defends well in the post or on the perimeter.

I got to the gym in time to see the JV game. Sacred Heart dominated the opening quarter and took a 10-1 lead. The Irish also outscored the Wolverines 10-3 in the second quarter and took a 20-4 halftime lead. Vestaburg came roaring back in the third quarter. They outscored Sacred Heart 15-3 and entered the fourth quarter down by only four points at 23-19.

The Irish JVs outscored Vestaburg 8-2 in the first four minutes of the final quarter and went on to win by the final score of 36-22.

Maddex Koutz led the Vestaburg JVs with 13 points. Carter Alibee contributed 5 points. Lucas Janofski and Brayden Clements each scored 2 points.

Ethan Baidoo scored 15 points to lead the Sacred Heart scoring. Tianyou Liu scored 7 points. Jack Morrow and Brookston Theisen each added 5 points. Reed Hacker had 3 points and Walter MacDonald tallied 1 point.

It is now time to review the events of this game through the occasionally clear lenses of an aging Bleacher Denizen who was never to escape church league in the days of yore when he attempted to play the game. It seems that your Bleacher Denizen never grasped the importance of staying between his man and the basket. When his man scored layup after layup while your Bleacher Denizen hung out near the midcourt line, his coach decided that a more active defender might help the team more. As you can imagine, your Bleacher Denizen had to spend more time watching than playing.

Sacred Heart wins the opening tap. The Irish miss a three pointer from the wing. Noah Zeien grabs the offensive rebound for the Irish. Sacred Heart misses another threeball from the wing. Vestaburg reciprocates and misses a threeball from the wing. Sacred Heart keeps the string going and misses a threeball from the wing. Vestaburg breaks the string and throws a pass out of bounds.

Sacred Heart misses a twelve foot shot off the dribble from the side. Vestaburg misses a layup. Sacred Heart misses a jumper off the dribble from the free throw elbow. Vestaburg misses a three pointer from the side. The Bleacher Denizen misses seeing the ball go into the basket. Sacred Heart’s players ignore the Bleacher Denizen’s longings and change things up by turning the ball over on a three seconds (in the lane) violation.

Vestaburg misses a threeball from the side. Jansen Scholer gets the offensive rebound for the Wolverines. Lucas Warczinsky drives and hits a six foot shot in the lane to give Vestaburg the first two points of the game. Sacred Heart misses a ten foot shot off the dribble in the lane. Lucas Warczinsky hits a fast break layup to give Vestaburg a 4-0 lead.

Kofee Arntz blocks an Irish threeball from the side. The loose ball goes out of bounds and Sacred Heart gets another opportunity. Noah Zeien passes to Nate Siler, who banks in an eight foot shot in the lane to give the Irish their first two points. Vestaburg misses a three pointer from the side. Noah Zeien passes to Brady Davis, who hits a three point shot from the wing to boost Sacred Heart to a 5-4 lead.

Nate Siler draws an offensive foul from Vestaburg. The Irish throw a pass out of bounds. Kofee Arntz passes to Jansen Scholer as he is cutting to the basket; he hits a layup for Vestaburg to retake the lead. Brady Davis passes to a teammate who is fouled on a layup, but misses two free throws. Vestaburg misses a driving reverse layup. Sacred Heart misses a heave as the first quarter buzzer seeks attention and blares very loudly.

After one quarter, Vestaburg has a 6-5 lead.

Vestaburg has the ball to open the second quarter. The Wolverines miss a threeball from the wing. Noah Zeien passes to Brady Davis, who throws in a threeball from the wing for Sacred Heart to give the Irish the lead. Vestaburg retakes the lead when Kofee Arntz passes to Lucas Warczinsky, who hits a three point shot from the side. A Vestaburg foul before the shot negates an Irish layup. Channing Sherlock inbounds the ball to Nate Siler, who hits a layup to give Sacred Heart a 10-9 lead.

Vestaburg misses a three point shot from the side. Sacred Heart misses a driving layup. Channing Sherlock grabs the offensive rebound for the Irish. Lucas Warczinsky knocks the ball over the midcourt line and out of bounds for Vestaburg; the Irish retain possession. Lucas Warczinsky taps the ball away from the Irish and draws a foul in the process. Vestaburg misses a driving layup and fouls on the rebound. Channing Sherlock throws in a threeball from the side to give his Irish a 13-9 lead.

Vestaburg misses a driving banked shot. The rebound goes out of bounds and the Irish take possession. Noah Zeien passes to Nate Siler, who hits a three point shot from the wing for the Irish. Leelynd O’Connor deflects a Vestaburg pass into the lane out of bounds. Sacred Heart gets the ball. The Irish miss a threeball from the wing. Leelynd O’Connor grabs the offensive rebound for the Irish. Noah Zeien hits a twelve foot shot from the wing and the Irish lead is at 18-9.

Vestaburg misfires on a triple try near the top of the key. Nate Siler hits a ten foot shot off the dribble for the Irish. Jansen Scholer drives and hits a layup for Vestaburg. He is fouled on the play and hits his free throw to cut the Sacred Heart lead to 20-12 with 1:16 remaining in the second quarter.

Sacred Heart misses a threeball from the side and fouls on the rebound. Vestaburg misses a three pointer from the side. The rebound goes out of bounds and the Wolverines get another opportunity. Vestaburg misses a twelve foot shot off the dribble in the lane. Sacred Heart misses a threeball near the top of the key. Nate Davis grabs the offensive rebound for the Irish. Sacred Heart misses a threeball from the side just before the second quarter buzzer sounds.

Sacred Heart will take a 20-12 lead into the locker room at halftime. Your Bleacher Denizen predicts that the Irish will continue to have a 20-12 lead when the third quarter starts.

While we wait for halftime to run its course, I hope you will enjoy these two videos from my You Tube Channel!!

“Sweet Home Chicago” is one of the earliest blues songs (from the 1890s and was made popular in the “Blues Brothers” movie. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pSRyFHU5RpM

“She’s About a Mover” is a fun sort-of love song by the Sir Douglas Quintet from 1965. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pSRyFHU5RpM

Now that halftime is over, your Bleacher Denizen glances at the scoreboard and proudly notes that Sacred Heart continues to have a 20-12 lead. Fortunately, some people sitting near the Bleacher Denizen restrain him before he injures himself trying to pat himself on the back so he can continue to take notes.

Sacred Heart’s players ignore the Bleacher Denizen trying to twist himself into a pretzel and inbound the ball to open quarter number three. The Irish miss a three pointer from the side. Hank MacDonald gets the offensive rebound for Sacred Heart. The Irish are fouled on a layup and miss two free throws. Nate Siler gets the offensive rebound for the Irish. Sacred Heart throws a pass out of bounds. Vestaburg misses a driving layup. Sacred Heart misses a ten foot shot off the dribble from the side. Noah Zeien hits a putback to give the Irish a 22-12 lead.

Vestaburg turns the ball over. Channing Sherlock passes to Noah Zeien, who hits a three point shot from the side for the Irish. Jansen Scholer passes to Brehm Warczinsky, who hits a three pointer from the side for Vestaburg. Sacred Heart travels on a drive to the basket. Jansen Scholer is fouled on a six footer off the dribble from the baseline and hits one of his two free throws to trim the Irish lead to 25-16 with 4:14 remaining in quarter number three.

The rebound from the missed free throw goes out of bounds and Vestaburg gets the ball. Brehm Warczinsky passes to Kofee Arntz, who spins and hits an eight foot shot in the lane for the Wolverines. Brehm Warczinsky knocks an Irish pass out of bounds; Sacred Heart retains possession. Brady Davis passes to Nate Siler, who is fouled on a layup and hits one of his two free throws to boost Sacred Heart to a 26-18 lead with 3:18 to go in quarter number three.

The Warczinsky connection comes through as Lucas Warczinsky passes to Brehm Warczinsky who hits a three point shot from the side for Vestaburg. Sacred Heart misses a twelve foot shot off the dribble in the lane. Lucas Warczinsky hits a sixteen foot shot off the dribble from the wing to cut the Sacred Heart lead to 26-23.

Sacred Heart misses a ten foot shot from the side of the lane. Leelynd O’Connor hits a putback for the Irish. Brehm Warczinsky drives and scoops in a layup for the Wolverines. He is fouled on the play, but misses his free throw. With 1:31 remaining in quarter number three, the Sacred Heart lead is at 28-25.

Vestaburg grabs the offensive rebound. The Wolverines miss a threeball from the top of the key. Jansen Scholer gets the offensive rebound for Vestaburg. The Wolverines are assessed with a traveling violation. Sacred Heart misses a driving layup. Hank MacDonald hits a putback for the Irish. Lucas Warczinsky drives, makes a great up and under move and hits a five foot banked shot from the side for Vestaburg. Sacred Heart heaves the ball an misses as the buzzer ends quarter number three.

With three quarters in the scorebooks, Sacred Heart has a 30-27 lead.

Vestaburg inbounds the ball to open the fourth quarter. Jackson Scholer drives from the side for Vestaburg to cut the Sacred Heart lead to one point. Brady Davis drives and hits a layup for Sacred Heart. Hank MacDonald knocks the ball away from Vestaburg and Nate Siler picks it up for Sacred Heart. Sacred Heart misses a twelve foot shot off the dribble from the side. Noah Zeien steals the ball for the Irish. Sacred Heart is whistled for traveling.

Vestaburg misses a three point shot from the side. Noah Zeien passes to Channing Sherlock, who hits a three point shot from the side for the Irish. Vestaburg misses a three point shot from the side. Noah Zeien passes to Nate Siler, who is fouled on a layup and makes one of his two free throws to boost the Irish to a 36-29 lead with 5:31 remaining in the game.

Vestaburg misses a ten foot shot in the lane. Kofee Arntz blocks an Irish layup. Channing Sherlock knocks a Vestaburg pass out of bounds; the Wolverines retain possession. Lucas Warczinsky gets into the lane, spins and hits a ten foot shot for Vestaburg to trim the Irish lead to 36-31.

Sacred Heart misses a layup. Vestaburg misfires on a triple try from the wide. Jackson Kilmer gets the offensive rebound for the Wolverines. Vestaburg misses a jump shot from the side. Channing Sherlock bursts into the lane and is fouled on a six foot shot. Channing Sherlock hits one of his two free throws to give Sacred Heart a 37-31 lead with 2:56 left in the game.

Vestaburg misses a threeball from the top of the key. Sacred Heart misses a twelve foot shot off the dribble from the side. Sacred Heart is fouled, but misses two free throws. Vestaburg misses a three pointer near the top of the key; the rebound goes out of bounds and Sacred Heart takes possession. Sacred Heart is fouled on a driving layup and misses two free throws. Lucas Warczinsky hits a three point shot from the wing to cut the Irish lead to three points. Noah Zeien is fouled and hits two free throws to give Sacred Heart a 39-34 lead with 1:09 left on the clock.

Vestaburg misses a threeball from near the top of the key. Channing Sherlock is fouled and hits one of his two free throws for Sacred Heart. Sacred Heart fouls on the rebound. Brady Davis blocks a Vestaburg three point attempt from the wing. Noah Zeien is fouled and hits two free throws for Sacred Heart. Lucas Warczinsky hits a sixteen foot shot from the wing for Vestaburg. Noah Zeien is fouled and hits two free throws to give his Irish a 44-36 lead with 9.9 seconds to go.

Lucas Warczinsky hits a three point shot from the side for Vestaburg. Sacred Heart throws a long pass over the Vestaburg press to Noah Zeien who shoots and hits a three point shot from the wing as time expires.

Sacred Heart wins this big game in the Mid-State Activities Conference by the score of 47-39.

Vestaburg’s Lucas Warczinsky had 21 points to lead all scorers from both teams. Brehn Warczinsky and Jansen Scholer each contributed 8 points. Kofee Arntz scored 2 points.

Noah Zeien had 16 points to lead the Sacred Heart scoring. Channing Sherlock joined his All-State teammate in double figures with 10 points. Nate Siler contributed 9 points and Brady Davis chipped in with 8. Leelynd O’Connor and Hank MacDonald each added 2 points.