The intensity couldn’t have gotten any higher Saturday afternoon in the Eagles Nest as Guerin Catholic tangled with North Central in boys’ basketball. In the end it was the Golden Eagles taking advantage of a 16-2 run during a six-minute stretch of the final quarter that propelled them to a 72-62 victory over the Panthers.
When you get North Central head coach and Hamilton Heights great Doug Mitchell and GC mentor Pete Smith paired against each other on the sidelines, you can count on the action both on the court and on the sidelines being fast and furious. An 11-3 run in the first quarter allowed North Central to leap out to 16-5 lead. But the Golden Eagles roared back. A 3-point field goal by sophomore Bernie McGuinness and a traditional three-point play by point guard Clay Hepp helped GC tie the game at 18-all by the quarter break.
Six points by Zach Munson and five points by junior Kian Sills helped Guerin Catholic outscore NC 18-15 and take a three-point lead into the locker room at halftime, 36-33. However Panther guard Caleb Pack found seams in the Golden Eagles’ defense to drain three 3-point field goals as Mitchell’s Panthers outscored Guerin Catholic 17-11 after intermission break and lead 50-47 heading into the final stanza.
Five Golden Eagles scored in the fourth quarter, with Drew Thieme’s power lay-up serving as an exclamation point to the run in the final seven minutes of the game. GC ran its lead to 72-59 before a North Central 3-point shot ended the scoring. The inside play of Jack Hansen, who scored 12 of his game-high 23 points in the period, and two strong post moves in the paint by Munson powered Guerin Catholic (12-7) to outscore the Panthers 25-12 in the final eight minutes of the contest.
“I was proud of our guys, they made a few mistakes but overall stayed composed and attacked the basket and paint in the final period,” said Smith. “With only a day to prep for North Central and then to find out Friday at practice that we’d be without Luke (Godfrey) this afternoon, it was great to see Bernie answer the bell and bring Luke’s toughness on the court when he was in there.” Godfrey suffered a high ankle sprain in the fourth quarter of Thursday’s victory over Scecina, and is expected at a minimum to also miss next Friday home game against Indianapolis Washington.
Pack finished with 18 points for North Central, who shot 42.9 percent from behind the 3-point arc but only 38.7 percent overall from the field. Guerin Catholic was 25-50 from the field (50 percent) and made 17-23 free throws in the physical contest. Joining Hansen in double-digit scoring was Munson with 16 points and Sills with 13. GC held a 34-28 rebound advantage, with Hansen grabbing 15 and McGuinness five. Hepp and Sills both passed out six assists.
Guerin Catholic 72, North Central 62
Guerin FG FT TP PF
Kian Sills 4-10 2-2 13 1
Clay Hepp 3-5 1-2 8 3
Drew Thieme 2-4 0-0 4 2
Zach Munson 6-12 4-5 16 1
Jack Hansen 8-14 7-10 23 3
Bernie McGuinness 2-4 3-4 8 3
Matt Parenteau 0-0 0-0 0 0
Roc Ricker 0-1 0-0 0 0
Totals 25-50 17-23 72 13
Score by Quarters
North Central 18 15 17 12 – 62
Guerin Catholic 18 18 11 25 – 72
Guerin Catholic 3-point shooting (5-14) Sills 3-6, McGuinness 1-2, Hepp 1-2, Hansen 0-2, Ricker 0-1, Munson 0-1.
Guerin Catholic rebounds (34) Hansen 15, McGuinness 7, Munson 5, Thieme 3, Sills 2, Hepp 1, team 1.
Guerin Catholic’s Zach Munson scored 16 points for the Golden Eagles in their 72-62 win over North Central Saturday at the Eagles Nest. (Richie Hall)