Last weekend during the Saturday night Varsity game, the Cathedral senior basketball players were celebrated on the success of their memorable journey with the Cathedral basketball program. This season the team has a 15-4 record, which they are proud of but the players are also hungry to build upon these results. There are three seniors on the team, Emmett Hern, Anthony Fields, and Sheldon Gatlin. 

The team played Franklin Central, a 10-12 team, so there was a sense of confidence that they could create another win. The fans would normally have expected all three seniors to have started but actually this was not to be.  Emmett Hern was unable to play Saturday due to an arm injury which he picked up during a recent practice session. Emmett says he “broke his elbow while going up for a rebound. He was undercut and his legs were taken out from a set and he landed straight on his elbow”.

While the team was warming up before the start of the game, Emmett said, “It was definitely a little sad to not be able to play on senior night, but it was still a great experience being with the guys and getting recognized. Obviously it’s annoying being injured and not being able to play, especially since it’s my senior year, but overall I had a fun time.”

It was obvious Emmett was very disappointed that he could not play on this special night. However, he is known for his sportsmanship and he is undoubtedly very proud of the entire team’s accomplishments and very confident that when the team begins the playoffs, they will do well.

As the game progressed, Anthony Fields and Sheldon Gatlin played well. Although this is Sheldon’s first year on varsity, he has certainly proven his worth to the team. On Saturday, he scored 16 points. In fact, he was so impressive, that by the end of the evening he had secured himself an offer from Hanover College. 

This was undoubtedly a wonderful accomplishment, made even more special because the offer was made on Senior night. The entire Cathedral family came together to congratulate him and undoubtedly the team will continue to benefit from his hard work and passion on the court.

Anthony Fields has achieved a state title with the 21-22 Irish team. He currently has 177 points built up during his varsity career here at Cathedral, and he is highly motivated to continue building that number. Anthony is well known to the fans because of the years he has been playing and many are keen to see where his basketball career will take him. Anthony has received an offer from Albion College. 

He has also been named a Mcdonald’s All-American Nominee this season. This is a big accomplishment for him and one that he should be very proud of. We know he will continue to give his all to the team with a constant eye on the next ring. Cathedral Irish finished the evening with a convincing win 70-61.

Emmett says “Ant and Shelly both played great. Shelly shot very well from the field and was very consistent, and Ant played a very well rounded game and filled up a lot of the stat categories as he usually does. Even though it was sad that I couldn’t play, it was so great seeing Ant and Shelly have fun and play a great game.”