By JOE PALLADINO
WATERBURY – This looked like a first game after the holidays kind of game. This looked like a game played by teams coming off a week break, or, in the case of Sacred Heart, the first game played in 13 days.
That left the door open for one player to step through, and take over.
Isiah Gaiter produced a stunning 39-point performance, with 17 rebounds and four assists tossed in, to lead Sacred Heart to a 65-57 victory over Holy Cross on Wednesday night in a packed Alumni Hall.
Cross’ Nyzair Rountree reached 1,000 points for his career, and delivered a typically sound game, with 14 points, six boards, and three steals.
“We played with the people we had,” said Rountree, in reference to two injured Crusaders, Jack Greene and Marcellus Gomes. “We gave it all we could. We left everything on the court. That’s basically it.”
Cross’ DeAndre Wallace was also solid, with 12 points, 12 boards, and four steals, and Mikey West, the former Hearts player who is now a Holy Cross guard, made his return to Alumni Hall a special one, with 22 points, three assists, and three steals.
Gaiter made the difference for the Hearts.
“That was the plan,” coach Jon Carroll said, “to give him the ball in the middle of the floor.” And then, let Gaiter decide. “He makes good decisions with the basketball,” Carroll added.
Gaiter said the Hearts (3-0) and Cross (3-1) can play, and will play, better.
“Both teams were a little sloppy,” he said. “We didn’t play our A game. But we are learning as a team. We’ve got a lot of new kids, and we’ve only played three games.”
Also for the Hearts, Raheem Solomon scored 10 points — he remains two points shy of 1,000 for his career — and the 6-11 center, Conor Tierney, only scored two and he fouled out after sitting for most of the second half, but he blocked five shots and led a Hearts block barrage of nine swats.
Sacred Heart boys win streak continues
SACRED HEART 65, HOLY CROSS 57
Holy Cross (3-1): Nyzair Rountree 5 4 14, DeAndre Wallace 3 6 12, Will Guglielmo 1 2 5, Mikey West 5 9 22, Kyle Moser 1 2 4, Jack Schiavone 0 0 0, Akili Evans 0 0 0, Sam Hernderlite 0 0 0. Totals: 15 23 57.
Sacred Heart (3-0): Raheem Solomon 3 4 10, Isiah Gaiter 15 8 39, Andre Anderson 2 0 5, Fran Barton 0 0 0, Noah Francisco 3 0 7, Connor Tierney 1 0 2, Caleb Sampson 0 0 0, Zach Francisco 1 0 2. Totals: 25 12 65.
Holy Cross 11 13 12 21— 57
Sacred Heart 17 16 16 16 — 65
3-point field goals: HC — Guglielmo 1, West 3. SH — Gaiter 1, Anderson 1, N. Francisco 1.
