Huron's season ends with 67-54 loss in Class A regional semifinal to Detroit Catholic Central
Players on the Huron bench couldn't be consoled as time wound down on their 67-54 loss to Detroit Catholic Central Monday night at Pioneer High School.
Melanie Maxwell | AnnArbor.com
This wasn’t how it was supposed to end for the Huron High School basketball team.
The team that returned a strong nucleus from a state runner-up finish a year ago wasn’t supposed to lose to a team with eight losses on the year. Especially not in the first round of regionals.
This group of River Rat seniors - the same players who left the court at last year’s state finals with heads hung low, vowing to return - weren’t supposed to go out like this.
Huron coach Waleed Samaha during the fourth quarter of Monday's loss.
Melanie Maxwell | AnnArbor.com
But with less than 30 seconds left and Huron trailing Detroit Catholic Central by double-digit points, coach Waleed Samaha subbed out the last of his seniors so the crowd could thank them one last time.
Not just for the season, but for their careers.
When the final horn sounded, Catholic Central players sang their alma mater with their student section in celebration of a 67-54 victory in a Class A regional semifinal at Pioneer High School. Huron walked off the court, heads hung low again.
“One game doesn’t define us, one night doesn’t define us. These kids have been everything you could ask for and they’ve done it the right way,” Samaha said.
The normally stoic coach was uncharacteristically morose after addressing the senior class for the last time.
“I’m so used to looking forward with these guys -- and looking at the next game -- that the thought of losing this game never crossed my mind,” he said.
Though Catholic Central (16-8) led for the entire second half, there was always the sense that Huron (21-2) was a play or two away from coming back; that the shots would start falling and the stops would come on the defensive end.
That all changed with 90 seconds left.
Melanie Maxwell is a photographer for AnnArbor.com. She can be reached at melaniemaxwell@annarbor.com. Follow AnnArbor.com photography on Facebook at AnnArbor.com Photo and on Twitter at @AnnArborPhoto.
Comments
Toni
Thu, Mar 17, 2011 : 3 p.m.
ie...the last pic on the slide show....that boy mikey got heart cuz after being jumped on and having your neck twisted and not getting the call id be ready to fight real talk
Toni
Thu, Mar 17, 2011 : 2:56 p.m.
"What is the coach implying when he said that he was proud of his guys and they've done it the right way?" he was most likely talking about the bad sportsmenship of the shamrocks they where trash talkin and flagrantly fouling between and even before tip off...i was thinkin the refs where just going to let the boys play hard but then looking at the fact that they went to the line 33 to hurons 15 shows that the refs on the floor controled who won and who lost that night ...its not fair to either team and if you ask me those three men should never ref a game again in life...NBA player get away with less then what went on mon night and the mhsaa should be ashamed of them selfs for putting the refs on the floor
MichiganFam
Tue, Mar 15, 2011 : 8:20 p.m.
The Huron boys basketball program and all those involved in it have been a class act in my experience. Hold your heads up, guys--I know the loss hurts but you have established a great legacy nonetheless.
tim
Tue, Mar 15, 2011 : 3:33 p.m.
Huron - You've played great basketball and represented Huron and the Ann Arbor community well. Now you move to the next level in life, but you will always have great memories of these years and the Green and Gold.
Craig Lounsbury
Tue, Mar 15, 2011 : 2:49 p.m.
"What is the coach implying when he said that he was proud of his guys and they've done it the right way?" Maybe nothing. He is a High School basketball coach, not the Chairman of the Fed.
KeepingItReal
Tue, Mar 15, 2011 : 1:38 p.m.
What is the coach implying when he said that he was proud of his guys and they've done it the right way?