City of Basketball Love

Jason Guarente (@JasonGuarente)
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HERSHEY -- Lamar Glover struggled to watch. He’d look for a few seconds and then tuck his face back into his jersey. It was a disappointing scene. One he’d already lived before.

Constitution spent 12 months working to get back here, to get another chance. After all that time, the Generals ran into the same obstacle.

Our Lady of the Sacred Heart knocked off Constitution 92-71 in the Class 2A championship game at Giant Center in Hershey Friday. The Chargers repeated as PIAA champions.

Constitution was left with a feeling of deja vu. Not the good kind.

“This is the same thing that happened last year,” junior Kevin Similen said. “We really can’t be too happy about it.”

No one cracked a smile during the medal ceremony. No one bothered to lift the runner-up trophy when it was presented. It was too soon to appreciate everything Constitution (22-9) had achieved. The District 12 title. The 19 wins over the final 22 games.

There was frustration and a desire to look ahead.

Constitution's players pose with the 2021-22 PIAA Class 2A consolation trophy. (Photo: Jason Guarente/CoBL)

“There has to be some motivation to get back here,” coach Rob Moore said. “That’s really what it boils down to. There’s no consolation to losing.”

OLSH (28-0) extended its winning streak to 68 games, which matches a PIAA record. No one else came close to ousting the Chargers. All five tournament wins were by double-digits. Four were by at least 21 points.

Trouble started for Constitution from the opening tip. OLSH scored four consecutive baskets in the paint before Jake DiMichele buried a 3-pointer. It was 11-0 before the Generals broke a sweat.

Even with more than 28 minutes remaining, that was a steep hill to climb.

“We had a tough time when the game first started,” Similen said. “We were just trying to fight back and do whatever it takes. Once we were down that much, it was hard to get back in the game.”

Constitution made some runs. The Generals were within 20-17 late in the first quarter and trailed by seven at halftime. Every burst was met with an answer.

OLSH shot 57% from the floor, made eight 3-pointers and 18-of-21 foul shots. The Chargers had no weaknesses.

“It came down to that punch in the face the first two minutes of the game and not making free throws early,” Moore said. “It put us in such a hole against a team that’s that good offensively. It was hard to dig out of that hole.”

All five of Constitution’s starters were seniors, which made the outcome even more difficult. Glover and Jacob Beccles did their best to rally the Generals. Beccles shot 12-for-21 from the floor and finished with a game-high 29 points. Glover dropped in 20 points. 

OLSH was too potent and too efficient. The Chargers shared the ball and created chances for each other.

“We wanted to keep attacking,” Moore said. “When we got to the rim we got whatever we wanted for the most part. But we couldn’t stop them, either.”

Jamal Carr finished with 15 points and 10 rebounds for Constitution, which shot 1-for-13 from 3. DiMichelle’s 25 points led six OLSH players in double figures.

Glover fouled out in the closing seconds. He put his hands on his knees when the realization washed over him. Then he made the long walk to the bench.

All he could do was watch.

“I’m a little mad,” Glover said. “We should’ve got gold. We got silver, though. I played my heart out.”

Constitution was hoping to capture its first PIAA championship since 2018. That came against OLSH. The Generals are no strangers to playing on this stage. They’re confident they’ll be here again.

“You don’t want to leave with a silver,” Moore said. “But sometimes a silver is just as valuable as a gold when you have a good group of kids that you really enjoyed coaching. We just ran into a good team two years in a row.”