AKRON, Ohio -- Rocky River closed out its 2020-21 season with a 66-34 loss at St. Vincent-St. Mary on Thursday night. The loss in a DII Northeast Ohio district tournament semifinal game came against the No. 1 seed in that bracket and the top-raked team in Ohio DII hoops. And it ends a unique season of pandemic perseverance which included a stutter start, a late-season slide, and a late-February stretch that saw the Maroon & White rally to win 3-of-4 and exhibit impressive team play.
The Pirates (10-13) were in a dogfight early, but the powerful Fighting Irish added some separation to the game over the second and third quarters. St. Vincent-St. Mary (20-2) claimed its 10th straight victory with the bracket triumph. SVSM has won eight of those 10 by double digits.
[Game stats not available at time of publication.]
Sencire Harris scored 22 points to lead the Irish. Charlie Hudson led River with 11. The contest marked the final career game for Hudson and fellow senior guard Nathan Robertson.
"I knew our guys would fight until the end," said Head Coach Mike Murray. We have a great group of young men. Thanks to our seniors for everything they contributed on and off the court."
The loss for the Sons of Blackbeard brought a close to what will go down as one of the more memorable seasons among the 101 that have been played at RRHS. That off-the-court component was a major factor this season. That the season was played at all required conscientious efforts and resolute persistence from players, families, and coaches. The way it was played between the lines was no less impressive.
by Skip Snow
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