LocalSportsJournal.com

The Hart girls basketball team had its impressive two-week postseason run come to an end on Wednesday with a 47-25 loss to Lake City in the Division 3 regional final at McBain High School.

Lake City jumped out to a 13-2 advantage after one quarter, led 23-9 at halftime, and cruised to the win and the regional title in the second half.

“The first two quarters we had a lot of turnovers,” said Hart head coach Travis Rosema. “But they came out ready to play and we didn’t match their intensity. We looked nervous to be in the regional finals and didn’t play the same way we’ve been.”

Nicole Rockwell led the Pirates with a nine point and nine rebound performance while Jayd Hovey added nine points.

Hart ends the season with a 14-11 record and a Division 3 district championship. They also impressed a lot of people by beating previously unbeaten Houghton Lake on Monday in the first round of regionals.

And the Pirates have reason for optimism, because they will return 10 players to the varsity team next season.

“We’re really excited,” said Rosema about the potential for next season. “We’ve been excited the last few years before the season, and it’s really just been a whole effort of parent involvement and coaches. We’ve got a lot of good building blocks here, and a lot of young kids are excited because of this run.”