By TYLER HENRY
Salina Post contributor
After a ten-day break in late January, the Sacred Heart boys’ basketball team is officially in the home stretch of their regular season, and will enter the month of February with an overall record of 8-6.
Despite being one of the smaller teams in their class, the Knights have battled night in and night out to find ways to compete inside without a traditional post, and have found success in some major wins this year.
“We’re getting really good at sharing the ball and moving around quickly,” Sacred Heart head coach Brian Gormley said. “As a by-product, our cuts are a little sharper and we’re getting where we want to be faster, those things really seem to be getting better as of late.”
While the Knight's short rotation was a detriment to them early in the year, the team has found some much-needed depth down the stretch, something that has completely changed the game for Sacred Heart.
“We knew who our starting five was going to be coming into the season but we needed to develop that bench depth,” Gormley said. “That’s really starting to come along. We have guys that are comfortable coming in and they know their role which opens us up to do more things on both ends of the court.”
With less of a demand and fewer minutes to wear themselves out, starters like Michael Matteucci, Max Ehrlich, and Evan Bogart have blossomed in the month of January, with that trio all averaging double-digit scoring on any given night.
“Mike has really leveled up his ability to score,” he said. “He was good defensively last year but he’s finishing well around the basket now for a guy who’s only 5-8.”
While Sacred Heart continues to play at a high clip from the inside the arc, the team is still in search of more three-point shooting prowess, a weapon that could prove to be invaluable down the home stretch of the season and into a late-February run.
“Day in and day out we have to find ways to shoot the ball more consistently from the three-point line,” Gormley said. “We’ve had really good stretches and we’ve had some not-so-good stretches but when you’re undersized like we are you have to be able to knock down some of those shots.”
Three-point shooting notwithstanding, there’s little to no doubt that this year’s Knights are beginning to peak at the right time, and could very well be a scary team to face come sub-state time.
“We’re headed in the right direction but I still think we could improve on a couple of things that would help this team to level up,” Gormley said. “If we’re able to do that and if we’re able to continue getting contributions from our depth that will allow us to do the things we need to do to be successful.”
Sacred Heart will be back in action this Friday when the Knights return home to face the Minneapolis Lions, looking to gain a foothold in league play.
For continuing coverage of Sacred Heart hoops all season long, stay tuned to the Salina Post.