Sacred Heart Academy girls basketball knocks out SCC rival Mercy in CIAC Division I quarterfinals

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Sacred Heart Academy girls basketball player Maddy Burke had 13 points, five rebounds and two blocks to lead her team over Mercy in the quarterfinals of the CIAC Division I tournament Thursday, March 12, 2026 in Middletown. (Jim Fuller/For Hearst Connecticut Media)


MIDDLETOWN - After a possession or two, it was pretty evident that the CIAC Division I girls basketball quarterfinal between Southern Connecticut Conference rivals Sacred Heart Academy and host Mercy was not for the faint of heart.

The teams split two games during the regular season, with each squad winning at home. The Sharks and Tigers knew what the other team was going to run and it made for one competitive postseason clash won by visiting SHA 35-28 on Thursday night, prompting Sacred Heart Academy head coach Jason Kirck to call it "as good of a win as we've had in a long time."


Fourth-seeded Mercy held the early advantage, as Elise Roy put the Tigers up four points in the first quarter. The Sharks, No. 2 in the GametimeCT Top 10 poll, didn't take their first lead until Molly Gunning hit a 3-pointer with 1:13 left before halftime to cap a 7-0 run. They held an 18-15 advantage heading into the break.

That momentum carried over into the second half. Maddy Burke had three points and an assist as the Sharks scored five consecutive points to take a 23-17 lead.

"We started the first quarter off slow, so we kind of got some momentum going into the second half," said Burke, who finished with 13 points, five rebounds and two blocks. "We were definitely able to carry that over in the third quarter, grind out stops and get baskets."

Mercy (20-4), No. 4 in the GametimeCT poll, did pull back within three points late in the third quarter. It was only down three in the fourth quarter when a double team almost forced Burke to lose the ball in the post. She recovered and kicked the ball out to freshman Finley Gunning for a 3-pointer with 2:18 left.

"I had the slip, it was wide open and then I got doubled," Burke said. "I almost lost the ball. I looked at the top of the key and I say Finley. I got it to her and I knew it was good."

Four of Mercy's 10 baskets came in the first quarter. The Sacred Heart defense began to turn up the pressure and that was enough for the Sharks to advance to the semifinals to meet up with top-seeded Northwest Catholic on either Monday or Tuesday.

"I thought we couldn't put the ball in the basket," Mercy coach Tim Kohs said. What did we score, 15 and 13 (points)? It is hard to beat a team like that (with 28 points). I thought we did a good job defensively. I thought we held them down. We put them at the line (late) when we gave them two or three points."

Abi Weidman had 12 points, 10 rebounds and two steals for Mercy. Kasey Clerkin added seven rebounds and four steals.

Mila Harmon had nine points and eight rebounds for the Sharks (20-2).

The emotions of a state quarterfinal between conference rivals was evident from the opening tip to the final few seconds.

"It is a rivarly game," Burke said. "It is always fun playing Mercy, you know it is going to be a really tough game. Playing them this early in the tournament, we knew it was going to be a tough game going into it.

"It is one of those games when you know what it is going to be from the start. We just have to grind it out and push through all the physicality because it is a rivalry game, the crowd is intense. It always feels good to win a rivalry game."

Player of the Game​

Maddy Burke, Sacred Heart Academy:She had 13 points, five rebounds, two blocks and an assist on the biggest basket of the game.

Quotable​

"This game is a lot more competitive. It is lose or go home. The last time we played this team, we played on this court and we kind of had a chip on our shoulder going into this game." - SHA's Maddy Burke.

Sacred Heart Academy 35, Mercy 28​

SACRED HEART 7 11 11 6-35
MERCY 11 4 9 4-28

SHA: Molly Gunning 1 0-0 3, Alexis Powell 1 0-0 2, Maddy Burke 3 7-8 13, JJ Kirck 0 2-2 2, Mila Harmon 3 3-6 9, Finley Gunning 2 1-2 6, Bianca Coughlin 0 0-0 0. Totals: 10 13-18 35.
Mercy: Kaitlin Bertolami 1 0-0 3, Reagan Beeler 0 0-0 0, Elise Roy 3 0-0 6, Kasey Clerkin 1 0-0 3, Abi Weidman 4 4-8 12, Taylor Schoonerman 0 0-0 0, Braelyn Marr 0 0-0 0, Jasmine Bryant 1 0-0 2, Courtney Mann 0 2-2 2. Totals: 10 6-10 28.
Three-point field goals: SHA-M. Gunning, F. Gunning; M-Bertolami, Clerkin.
Team records: Sacred Heart 20-2, Mercy 20-4.

This article originally published at Sacred Heart Academy girls basketball knocks out SCC rival Mercy in CIAC Division I quarterfinals.

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