Photos by Scott DeCamp | CatchMark
HOLTON — Last summer, players and coaches for Hart’s boys basketball team thought something special might be brewing.
The Pirates didn’t realize just how special the 2022-23 season could be. Thursday night, they made history.
Hart capped a perfect regular season at 22-0 with a 68-16 victory over host Holton in the CatchMark SportsNet West Michigan Conference Game of the Week. Under the tutelage of Nick Bronsema, in his first year at the Pirates’ helm, it’s the first unbeaten season for the boys basketball program, at least in the modern era.
Watch a replay of CatchMark’s livestream of the Hart vs. Holton game here:
Hart ran through the WMC Rivers Division with a 12-0 record. The Pirates’ closest margin of victory in divisional play came in a 62-51 win at Ravenna on Dec. 20. Their closest game in the entire season so far was a 64-59 victory at Grand Rapids West Michigan Aviation Academy on Jan. 4.
Hart has more goals to achieve, however. Next up is a very challenging Division 2 district next week at Big Rapids. The top-seeded Pirates face the Big Rapids/Ludington winner in a district semifinal at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday.
Hart defeated Big Rapids (19-2) this season in a wild game at Hart, 92-84. The Pirates have not played Ludington (20-2), co-champion of the WMC Lakes Division, in a game this season although they did scrimmage the Orioles over the summer.
Hart’s turnaround from last season, when the Pirates finished with a 7-15 record, is among the most dramatic in the state. Coincidentally, their 2021-22 season ended in a 54-45 district loss to Holton.
Against Holton on Thursday, senior Parker Hovey led the way with 17 points, 14 rebounds, seven assists and five blocks. The 6-foot-5 guard is now 20 points from reaching 1,000 in his career.
Senior Diego Escamilla added 12 points for Hart, while freshman Caleb Ackley chipped in 10 off the bench. Junior Blake Weirich and senior Kyan Clark scored six apiece for the Pirates, while senior Caleb Bitely and junior Jesse Jacobs added five points each.
For Holton (1-21, 1-11 WMC Rivers), senior Brodrick Fialek and freshman Keon McMillan scored five points apiece.
To hear from Bronsema and Hart seniors Clark, Tony Rayo and Easton VanderZwaag, plus to see some highlights — including a Hovey dunk — watch the video below:
