For the first time since 2023, the Falls City Sacred Heart Irish returned to the Boys State Basketball Tournament, bringing with them a senior class that still remembered the sting of their last appearance. Three years ago, the Irish entered as the No. 6 seed but fell in the opening round to Parkview Christian, 62-42. That freshman group, now seniors Cole Taft, Kyler Sipple, Brenden Lemerond, and Cooper Knobbe, finally earned their chance at redemption on the biggest stage.

The 2026 tournament opened Wednesday in Lincoln, where Sacred Heart faced a formidable opponent in the Archangels Catholic Defenders. The Defenders arrived with a 24-2 record, their only losses coming to state-title caliber programs Howells-Dodge and GACC. The Irish countered with a 17-8 mark, though their record hardly reflected the difficulty of their schedule. Sacred Heart played just six regular-season games against Class D2 opponents and entered the night a perfect 9-0 against teams in their classification.

A Slow Start, Then a Surge

Archangels struck quickly, jumping out to a 7-0 lead highlighted by a banked-in three from Tucker Czarnick. Lemerond answered with a banked triple of his own to get the Irish on the board, but offense was hard to come by in the opening period. It would be a theme that would haunt the Irish for most of the evening. Sacred Heart’s defense kept them within striking distance, yet the Irish trailed 11-5 after one.

Momentum shifted in the second quarter. A Taft three-pointer and a bucket from Noah Howard trimmed the deficit to 13-10. After the Defenders scored inside, Lemerond and Taft buried back-to-back threes to give Sacred Heart its first lead at 16-15. The teams traded blows the rest of the half, and the Irish carried a 22-19 advantage into the locker room.

Defenders Take Control After Halftime

The Defenders opened the third quarter with an 8-0 run, reclaiming the lead and forcing the Irish to respond. Taft split a pair at the line, and Lemerond converted a fast-break layup to pull Sacred Heart within four. But Archangels’ size, especially 6-foot-6 guard Brenden Johannes, began to wear on the Irish. Johannes repeatedly found success inside, and the Defenders closed the quarter on another surge to take a 35-25 lead into the fourth. Johannes finished the evening with 10 points and 9 rebounds.

Offensive Struggles Seal the Irish Fate

Sacred Heart needed a spark in the final eight minutes, but the shots simply never came. After scoring 17 points in the second quarter, the Irish managed just six total in the entire second half. Meanwhile, the Defenders continued to live at the free-throw line and steadily pulled away. The Defenders shot 20 free throws on the evening with 16 of those coming in the second half of action.

The Irish fell 49-28, ending their season in the Class D2 quarterfinals.

Final Stats and Final Goodbyes

Lemerond led Sacred Heart with eight points, while Taft and Howard added seven apiece. JJ Lancaster scored five, and Knobbe chipped in one. Bo Fletcher, one of the team’s top scorers this season, was held scoreless after early foul trouble limited his first-half minutes, though he contributed six rebounds.

The loss marks the end of the road for Sacred Heart’s senior class of Taft, Sipple, Lemerond, and Knobbe – players who helped guide the Irish back to Lincoln and set the standard for the next wave of talent.

The final score doesn’t fully reflect how competitive the game was through two quarters. Sacred Heart had its chances, but the cold second half proved too much to overcome. Still, the Irish leave the 2025-26 campaign with plenty to be proud of and a clear message for the future players:

Lincoln is where the Irish expect to be in March.