By Craig Beilfuss
LocalSportsJournal.com

BIG RAPIDS–Hart’s perfect season came to an end in the Division 2 district basketball championship game on Friday night.

The tall and talented Cadillac Vikings ended it with a 56-32 victory over the Pirates.

The Vikings features a starting five of no one under 6-2. It was a major factor in Friday’s outcome.

Cadillac controlled both the defensive and offensive rebounding and the tempo of the game from start to finish. And, they limited Hart’s big man, 6-5 senior Parker Hovey, to just 14 points. Hovey was in foul trouble for most of the second half as he picked up his fourth foul midway through the third period. He eventually fouled out with more than 5 minutes to go in the fourth quarter. 

“Parker Hovey is a really good ballplayer,” said Cadillac coach Ryan Benzenberg. “Early on, he got some baskets off of some good ball screens, but our kids figured it out and gritted it out on defense. We made some shots early on and it forced Hart to play some man defense which they typically do not do and I thought that was a big key to the game. We thought if we could get them to play man defense it would be a big advantage for us.”

Hart had two leads in the contest at 1-0 and 4-3 in the first quarter. After that it was all about Cadillac, which forced the Pirates into poor shots and a multitude of turnovers.

Cadillac got out to a 17-12 lead by the end of the first quarter. Hart pulled to within three at 19-16 on a layup by Hovey in the second stanza. After that, the Vikings went on a 17-6 run to close out the first half and took a commanding 36-22 lead into halftime. Hovey scored 12 points in the first half.

From then on, the Cadillac defense took over as they limited Hart to just 10 second-half points. The Vikings went cold as well in the third quarter with only six points and headed into the fourth quarter with a 42-27 lead. They outscored Hart 14-5 over the final eight minutes.

“On film, they (Cadillac) defend really well,” said Hart coach Nick Bronsema. “Length helps. They defend really well and don’t make a lot of mistakes. That’s what makes them special on defense and they really hit some tough shots tonight on offense. When they started hitting those shots from out deep, it made it extremely difficult and we had to come out and guard them man-to-man. We always test the waters with our 1-2-2. 

“We had to play catchup, but nothing like tonight,” Bronsema said. “They seemed pretty locked in (on defense). Our guys played their hearts out. The seniors are certainly leaving a legacy. It was just one game out of 24 where we just didn’t have it and again you just credit Cadillac for what they do defensively. Our kids are winners in life. I’m very excited about that and they are going to do some great things in life.”

Other scoring contributors for Hart included Blake Weirich with seven points and Diego Escamilla with five points. Wyatt Dean and Caleb Bitely each scored three points apiece. Hovey led the Pirates with 13 rebounds.

Sophomore Eli Main led Cadillac with 16 points. He was joined in double figures by senior Jaden Montague and junior Charlie Howell with 14 points each.

Hart finishes the season with 23-1 record. Cadillac (20-4) takes on undefeated Standish Sterling (22-0) in the regional semifinals at 7 p.m. Monday at Clare.

Photos courtesy of LSJ photographer Joe Washington