Hart senior Parker Hovey needed 20 points entering Wednesday night’s boys district basketball game against Big Rapids to reach 1,000 in his career.
Hart had to beat Big Rapids on its home court in order to keep its perfect season intact and continue along the tournament path.
No pressure. Hovey and the Pirates came through in a big way.
The 6-foot-5 Hovey delivered 35 points along with a whopping 20 rebounds, seven assists and seven blocks and the Pirates needed all of it. Hart defeated the 20-win Big Rapids squad, 62-56, and advances to face another formidable foe in Friday’s district title game.
Hart (23-0) and Cadillac (19-4) tangle at 7 p.m. Friday at Big Rapids. Cadillac defeated Reed City in the other district semifinal on Wednesday, 49-22.
Big Rapids, which defeated Ludington 62-61 in Monday’s district opener, closes its season with a 20-3 record.
Photos by Billy Mann | CatchMark
Hart senior Diego Escamilla added 13 points, including a trio of 3-pointers in the second half. Junior Blake Weirich scored nine points and grabbed eight rebounds to help along the front line for the Pirates.
Hart seniors Caleb Bitely and Wyatt Dean were assigned the task of defending the Dunn twins from Big Rapids. Mason Dunn finished with 17 points to lead the Cardinals, while Jack Ruggles scored 14.
Hart trailed Big Rapids, 18-16, after one quarter. But then the Pirates turned it on, outscoring the Cardinals 17-3 over the next eight minutes for a 33-21 halftime lead. Hovey scored 22 of those points for the Pirates.
Hart held a 44-36 lead through three quarters. The Pirates extended the margin to 54-42 in the fourth quarter and were never seriously threatened the rest of the way.
Wednesday marked the second victory of the season for Hart over Big Rapids. The Pirates beat the visiting Cardinals, 92-84, on Dec. 15.
Listen to a replay of the audio stream from Wednesday’s game:
