advertisement

Bartlett honors its beloved coach

Sophomore guard Mackenzie Hare poured in a school-record 43 points to help lead Bartlett's girls basketball team to an 85-35 Upstate Eight Conference victory over Fenton Wednesday night in Bartlett.

However, that achievement was secondary to what the night meant for the Hawks (1-0), who were playing their first game since the sudden death of head coach Brad Hunt this past June.

"This was definitely for Coach Hunt and rest of the community," said Hare, who scored 31 of her points in the first half as the Hawks scorched the net for 60 points. "My teammates really helped me a lot on this one."

Teammates like junior guard Lexie Sinclair, who bobbed and weaved her way around Fenton's full-court pressure throughout, nearly recording a quadruple-double with 19 points, 9 assists, 8 rebounds and 7 steals in less than 3 quarters of playing time.

"She was right there and she will be," said Hawks coach Joe Eirich. "I looked up there (at the scoreboard) and saw she had 19 points for the game but she easily could have had 12-13 assists with some of the bunnies we missed.

"We rely so heavily on her - she's got such a ridiculous basketball IQ."

Hare, who added 9 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 steals, scored 10 third-quarter points and returned briefly at the outset of the fourth quarter to knock down a pair of free throws and rewrite the school record books.

"Mackenzie had an incredible night," said Fenton coach Dave Mello.

Nikolina Maric led the Bison (1-1) with 8 points.

"They're a phenomenal team," Mello said of the Hawks. "For us to play against a team of their caliber, it's what we needed at this time. I have nine freshmen and sophomores and that's their first time playing against two Division I-caliber players with Lexie (Sinclair) and Mackenzie (Hare)."

Mello, who served two seasons as Bartlett's girls basketball head coach (2017-2019) with Hunt as his assistant, put the game in perspective.

"To us, the basketball was by far secondary to the whole evening," said Mello. "To see this outpouring of support for Brad is incredible. With us being in the conference, I'm happy that we were able to move it to today (from Jan. 20). We were more than happy to come here."

Bartlett led 29-8 after one quarter, with Hare and Sinclair combining for 27 points.

"We run this pace in practice every single day," said Eirich. "We don't necessarily run that style of offense but we run, run, run.

"We played 14 girls tonight. We got everybody in. Who can say that in their first game of the season?"

It was far from the usual season opener but a heartfelt one for both teams.

"Terrible circumstances," said Eirich, who served as an assistant coach to Hunt. "It's the worst way to be in the position I'm in. I worked with Brad for seven years. I loved him and I love his family. This was a great celebration for a great friend of mine."

"Tonight is about Brad," said Bartlett athletic director Jeff Bral. "It's about his family - to let them know that this community loved him."

  Former Bartlett girls basketball head coach Brad Hunt was remembered with a brief memorial ceremony before a game against Fenton Wednesday. Hunt's children Madison and Brady were involved in pregame lineup announcements as well as a ceremonial tipoff in memory of their dad, who died suddenly in June. Patrick Kunzer/pkunzer@dailyherald.com
  Former Bartlett girls basketball head coach Brad Hunt was remembered with a brief memorial ceremony before a game against Fenton Wednesday. Hunt's children Madison and Brady were involved in pregame lineup announcements as well as a ceremonial tipoff in memory of their dad, who died suddenly in June. Patrick Kunzer/pkunzer@dailyherald.com
  Former Bartlett girls basketball head coach Brad Hunt was remembered with a brief memorial ceremony before a game against Fenton Wednesday. Hunt's children Madison and Brady were involved in pregame lineup announcements as well as a ceremonial tipoff in memory of their dad, who died suddenly in June. Patrick Kunzer/pkunzer@dailyherald.com
  Former Bartlett girls basketball head coach Brad Hunt was remembered with a brief memorial ceremony before a game against Fenton Wednesday. Hunt's children Madison and Brady were involved in pregame lineup announcements as well as a ceremonial tipoff in memory of their dad, who died suddenly in June. Players from both teams and coaching staffs donned special shooting shirts in Hunt's honor. Patrick Kunzer/pkunzer@dailyherald.com
  Former Bartlett girls basketball head coach Brad Hunt was remembered with a brief memorial ceremony before a game against Fenton Wednesday. Hunt's children Madison and Brady were involved in pregame lineup announcements as well as a ceremonial tipoff in memory of their dad, who died suddenly in June. Here, the kids join the varsity girls just before tipoff. Patrick Kunzer/pkunzer@dailyherald.com
  Former Bartlett girls basketball head coach Brad Hunt was remembered with a brief memorial ceremony before a game against Fenton Wednesday. Hunt's children Madison and Brady were involved in pregame lineup announcements as well as a ceremonial tipoff in memory of their dad, who died suddenly in June. Patrick Kunzer/pkunzer@dailyherald.com
  Former Bartlett girls basketball head coach Brad Hunt was remembered with a brief memorial ceremony before a game against Fenton Wednesday. Hunt's children Madison and Brady were involved in pregame lineup announcements as well as a ceremonial tipoff in memory of their dad, who died suddenly in June. Patrick Kunzer/pkunzer@dailyherald.com
  Former Bartlett girls basketball head coach Brad Hunt was remembered with a brief memorial ceremony before a game against Fenton Wednesday. Hunt's children Madison and Brady were involved in pregame lineup announcements as well as a ceremonial tipoff in memory of their dad, who died suddenly in June. Patrick Kunzer/pkunzer@dailyherald.com
  Former Bartlett girls basketball head coach Brad Hunt was remembered with a brief memorial ceremony before a game against Fenton Wednesday. Hunt's children Madison and Brady were involved in pregame lineup announcements as well as a ceremonial tipoff in memory of their dad, who died suddenly in June. Patrick Kunzer/pkunzer@dailyherald.com
Article Comments
Guidelines: Keep it civil and on topic; no profanity, vulgarity, slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about tragedies will be blocked. If a comment violates these standards or our terms of service, click the "flag" link in the lower-right corner of the comment box. To find our more, read our FAQ.