Photo: Sacred Heart College female basketball team
Sacred Heart College (SHC) boys and girls will represent the west in the upcoming National Secondary Schools Sports Association (NSSSA) Nationals in Punta Gorda.
by Charles Gladden
SAN IGNACIO TOWN, Cayo District, Mon. Nov. 28, 2022
On Saturday, November 26, the male and female Sacred Heart College (SHC) teams in San Ignacio Town, Cayo, became the champions of the Western Zone High School Basketball Tournament and will represent the west in the upcoming National Secondary Schools Sports Association (NSSSA) basketball championships in Punta Gorda on December 16 and 17.
In the first game of the tournament, SHC girls vanquished Belmopan Baptist High School with a score of 34 – 6, and thus advanced to the championship round. And in game two, SHC boys soundly defeated their competition, Belmopan Comprehensive School, with a score of 54 – 27. In game three, Our Lady of Guadalupe (OLOG) girls cruised past the scoreless Mopan Technical, with the final score being 23 – 0, and the OLOG male team defeated Mopan boys with a 42 – 30 score.
In the tournament finals, SHC girls defeated OLOG girls with a 21 – 13 score. The SHC boys also dominated OLOG boys and blew them away from contention with a 35- point win: 61 – 26.
Elvis Usher, head coach for both the male and female SHC teams, stated, in response to the victory, “It feels great, and the hard work and dedication that the students gave throughout the time that we were practically showed out. It’s the first time both males and females are going together, so that should be a nice experience on its own. We have three more weeks to prepare for nationals, and I believe we should be okay by that time.”
In the awards ceremony following the games, SHC’s Tayshaun Haylock and Jahleeny Belisle received the tournament’s Most Valuable Player (MVP) Award for males and females, respectively.