Up by 11 points midway through the third quarter, things were looking good for the Helias Lady Crusaders.
They looked good at the end as well. But there were moments in between ...
"Our kids fought them off at the end," Helias coach Doug Light said Saturday night after the Lady Crusaders edged the Eureka Lady Wildcats 52-50 in the opening round of the State Farm Holiday Hoops Invitational at Rackers Fieldhouse in Jefferson City. "We did enough to hold on."
Just enough. Katlyn Cowell of Helias hit a free throw with :05 remaining to make it 52-50. Eureka then drove the ball down the court and had a 12-foot jumper just miss that would have sent the game to overtime.
"This is a good education for the kids," Light said. "We learned how to close one out."
Helias was more than solid through the first three quarters, especially on the defensive end. The Lady Crusaders used a pressure defense to force 26 turnovers in the first 24 minutes of the game.
In a 10-second stretch in the third quarter, Helias turned Eureka turnovers into three layups to turn a three-point lead into a 33-24 advantage.
"The press doesn't always get turnovers, but you can get runs like that sometimes," Light said.
Helias led by nine at 39-30 after a Molly Light layup with just more than seven minutes remaining. But Eureka, which has five players averaging in double figures, woke up.
"They're a very good offensive team, they put a lot of pressure on your defense by attacking the basket," Doug Light said. "They present a lot of challenges with their offense, they can do so many things."
Helias' lead fluctuated between four and six points for much of the fourth quarter. Consecutive layups by Grace Archambault in the final :30 pulled Eureka to within a point at 51-50.
Cowell then hit one of two free throws and Helias held on for the victory.
The Lady Crusaders have struggled at the line for much of the season and Saturday night was no exception. In a game with 48 fouls, Helias was just 17-of-36 at the free-throw line. That, combined with 13 turnovers, made the game a little closer than perhaps it should have been.
"We had some silly passes, we didn't make enough free throws," Light said.
Molly Light finished with 14 points for Helias. Cowell added 12 points and game-high eight rebounds, while Mai Nienhueser came off the bench to chip in with 10 points.
Helias (4-2) will take on Hickman in the semifinals at 7 p.m. today.
"It's great to be going to the right side of the bracket," Doug Light said. "The thing about that, though, is you know you're going to get two more tough games in the tournament. But we're looking forward to that. It makes you better."
Mallory Proffer finished with 13 points for Eureka, which will face Alton, Ill., in the loser's bracket at 4 p.m. today. Nadia Farmer added 12.