Holy Ghost takes down Upper Moreland on free throws

Upper Moreland’s season came to an end Saturday night in one of the worst ways imaginable. A questionable at best foul call with seconds left in double overtime with the game tied sent Holy Ghost Prep’s Aiden Bauer to shoot three free throws.
The junior made all three giving Upper Moreland only one shot at a desperation heave at the buzzer but it wouldn’t go as the Golden Bears season ended with a 45-42 overtime loss.
Besides the three free throws that Bauer hit to win the game they played a role throughout the second half and overtime. Upper Moreland shot only 1-4 from the line in the second half and overtime with a good majority of them being front ends of 1-and-1s. Holy Ghost Prep on the other hand went to the line 19 times in the second half and overtime converting on 13 of them.
“(One for five) from the foul line doesn’t help either and I think four of those were front ends of one and ones and that’s what happens when you lose a three point game in double overtime,” Upper Moreland coach Matt Heiland said
Most of the game stood as a microcosm of the Golden Bears season. Through the first quarter and a half Upper Moreland shot the ball lights out, something that helped the Bears get out to a 5-2 mark out of the shoot.
For the next quarter and a half the Bears shooting went ice cold, which was why its 5-2 start was followed by a nine game losing streak.
“I thought we did a heck of a job defensively we held them to 45 points in six periods, they held us to 42, I think we had 25 in the first quarter and a half,” Heiland said. “We got away from basics, they did help out on our shooters a little bit and forced our shooters to step out a little further. In all honesty we started the game by attacking the basket, driving and kicking and we had open looks and we knocked them down, where as when we went cold we just started to one pass and shot.”
Shane Stone had a shot at the end of regulation to win the game for Upper Moreland but his floater wouldn’t fall sending the game into overtime. Holy Ghost Prep used the clock in the overtime allowing both teams to get only one possession as it held the ball for one shot with the game tied. Holy Ghost ran out the final 3:30 plus of the first overtime with one possession.
“At the end of regulation we got a good look, Stone just didn’t make it,” Heiland said. “It was a good look, we ran the play exactly the way we wanted to, the ball rimmed in and out.”
For Upper Moreland it will return four of its five starters next season and key role players Jake Villanueva and Brett Brosman. Expect this heartbreaking loss for the Bears to serve as major motivation this offseason.
“I told them in the locker room after the game to dig down and understand what is in your mind right now,” Heiland said. “Understand the feeling that you have, understand what you’re thinking right now. When it comes to April, offseason workouts, when you want to stop, remember Holy Ghost. You want to put the weights down remember Holy Ghost. We’ll bounce back, out of the eight guys that played tonight, seven will be back.”