By John Raffel
A tough regular season schedule last year ignited Sacred Heart Academy and led to a Class D girls’ basketball state title, and coach Damon Brown and the Irish would love to repeat.
Brown is starting his seventh year as Sacred Heart girls basketball coach. He guided the team to a 22-5 record and the top spot in the state a year ago, and he has seven returning players, since there was only one senior on the championship team.
“It was a very experienced team,” he said. “The year before, we had similar players on the team. We lost to Waterford in the quarterfinals in overtime. Last year’s team came in with a lot of experience. It was a very successful group of girls. They had been to the finals in softball and the quarterfinals in volleyball. They weren’t afraid of the big stage but was a very focused group of girls. They were mentally tough.”
Sacred Heart edged Forest Park 56-53 in the title game.
“We had a tough schedule last year, and they handled all those games pretty well,” Brown said. “Those games we lost, we learned something from those games. I think that’s what helped us in the tournament. You have to learn how to bounce back from losses and how to prepare yourself for the next game. I thought we did a really good job of preparing ourselves. We were never not prepared for something.”
Leading the way is Averi Gamble, a 6’3″ junior and daughter of a former NBA basketball player. “She’s a very skilled post player,” Brown said. “She had a tremendous game in the state championship, with 25 points and 14 rebounds. Everything we do this year kind of revolves around her.”
Also returning is Riley Terwilliger, a guard and three-year starter. “She’s probably one of the most athletic players on our team” Brown said. “She can really shoot the ball and is really a strong leader for us. I expect her to step up her game for us.”
The one senior the Irish graduated was Sara Hansen, who averaged 19 points, five steals, and four assists per game. “She was a do-it-all player for us,” Brown said. “Averi and Riley have to really step their game up to really pick up some of the things Sarah brought to the table.”
The Irish bring back Meredith Predum, who didn’t play last season due to injury, but who was a backup point guard the year before that. “She’s a very key component for us, as well,” Brown said.
Skylar Nelson is a key returning wing player. “She has to step her game up for us this year,” Brown said.
Lexie Methner is a 6’0″ post player and is very athletic.
“For us, everything we do starts on the defensive end,” Brown said. “We’ve got six kids around 5’9″ up to 6’3″. We have a lot of length and athleticism. It all starts on the defensive end for us. That’s the expectation for every girl on the team this year – that you have to be able to defend, and you have to play with effort, and you have to play with heart. Our seniors this year understand that, and they’ve done a great job of carrying that down to our underclassmen.”
The work ethic on his team is obviously very impressive. “They know what it takes to get it done,” Brown said. “For me as a coach, while I talk a lot about that, the seniors know what’s at stake. They know this is their last opportunity. They have an opportunity to do something really special. With Riley and Lexie serving as captains this year, along with Averi, they realize the task at hand, and how to keep the team motivated and how to motivate themselves. I don’t really have to say much. This is a battle-tested team. They’ve played together for years. They know how to respond to each other.”
Brown expects a tough regular season schedule, with opponents like Nouvel Catholic Central, Beal City, Carson City-Crystal, and Morley Stanwood.
“We’ve got about eight to 10 games that will be tough for us,” Brown said. “That’s what we wanted. We want to be battle-tested, so that when postseason comes, the girls are prepared and know how to handle situations. Our schedule was very tough last year. We played some pretty good teams.”