If you looked at the game on papaer, one would have probably guessed the outcome of the championship game of the First State Community Bank Holiday Classsic.
Although many people would have probably taken Delta, the game itself was much closer than expected.
Saxony Lutheran hung tough with the high powered Delta offense that is averaging nearly 95 points per game, and held them to essentially half.
Saxony couldn’t quite make enough shots in the final quarter and fell to Delta 53-45 in the title game at the Show-Me Center.
“I thought it was a good game between two good teams,” Saxony coach Chris Crawford said. “Delta tried to speed us up and I thought we handled their pressure well. The offense got the shot selection that we wanted, but just didn’t make enough shots to win the game.”
Rebecca Johnson scored 14 points for the Crusaders, while Evie Caruso scored 13 points and Abigail Haley scored eight.
Only four players scored for Delta. Jade Berry led the Bobcats with 24 points. Addison Nichols scored 17 points, while Presley Howling added eight points and Mya Gillespie chipped in four points on all free throws.
The game was close throughout as Saxony battled in the first quarter and finally took its first lead at 18-16 after a basket by Maci Hollis at the 5:50 mark of the second quarter. That lead grew to as much as four, which was the largest lead for Saxony in the game.
After a timeout, Delta went on an 11-0 run and quickly found the Bobcats up seven. That lead grew to as much as eight, but Saxony continued to battle.
“I told the girls that Delta was going to make a run at some point. It’s what they do,” Crawford said. “We have to be mentally tough enough to withstand that and stay in the game, otherwise they can put points up in a hurry and the game gets away from you. We stayed mentally focused and battled the whole time.”
Delta held just a 32-27 lead at the half and couldnever quite pull away from the Crusaders when Johnson hit back-to-back three-pointers to pull within a single point at 33-32 with 3:40 left in the third.
The Delta offense struggled at times, especially near the rim with the long arms of Caruso who blocked multiple shots and affected others. Delta scored just eight points in the third quarter. Delta scored its least amount of points this season and allowed its second-most.
“They are a great offensive team,” Crawford said. “Allowing 50 points is a good thing for us. We really didn’t change a whole lot and stuck with our regular man-to-man defense. We just didn’t want to extend it full court because this floor is bigger than high school.”
Delta led after every quarter but a 13-9 final period made the difference. The Bobcats found themselves on the charity stripe frequently, making 19-of-26 free throws. Saxony only mustered five points in the first half of the fourth, which proved too much to overcome in the end as Delta stretched their lead to nine in the final quarter.
Crawford was proud of his team’s effort in the tournament. Saxony came into the tournament as the No. 3 seed and upset Jackson in the semifinals to reach the title game. Haley and Caruso were named to the All-Tournament team.
This was a great and bigger year for the Holiday Classic, which expanded from six teams with a round-robin schedule to 12 teams with Saxony Lutheran serving as the host for the first two days.
“I thought we played good basketball throughout the week,” Crawford said. “Going into Christmas break, I’m happy with where we are, but I’m not satisfied.”
