DeLaSalle girls' basketball coach Faith Johnson Patterson was anything but happy with her team's 64-29 home loss to Lakeville North on Thursday night.
"A two-point deficit all of a sudden became 20," she said glumly after the Islanders were outscored 37-4 in the second half.
The Class 4A Panthers were clearly the better team. But forgive DeLaSalle if its collective basketball mind wasn't all there.
Just before practice Wednesday afternoon, Johnson Patterson received a phone call no one ever expects to get. Her 14-year-old nephew had collapsed during his basketball practice at Prairie Seeds Academy in Brooklyn Park. Jarvis Johnson, brother of DeLaSalle starting center Tyseanna Johnson, was brought to North Memorial Hospital before being transferred to Children's Hospital in St. Paul. It's believed he suffered a heart attack.
"It was a very serious situation and still is a very serious situation," Johnson Patterson said. "This is a 14-year-old kid that grew up coming to our practices when he wasn't at his. All of the girls know him. He's a big part of us all."
Johnson Patterson said Jarvis was in critical condition at Children's Hospital as of Thursday night but did not know any further details.
"Everybody on our team cried all day long and probably will all night long," she said. "But we had to pull ourselves together to play this game. It was hard to fight through it."
