It's not often you get to hear this, but the Helias Crusaders won a basketball game Monday night in large part because of their ability to take charges.
The Crusaders took seven charges - four of them by Trevor Koelling - to help slow down the Owasso (Okla.) Rams while claiming a 59-51 win in an opening-round game in the Joe Machens Great 8 Classic.
Owasso had one other offensive foul in the game that resulted in a turnover, meaning the Rams had eight empty possessions in a game that was out of reach for them early, but within reach down the stretch.
"Our goal every game, and it's seldom that we reach it, is to take five charges a game," Helias head coach Josh Buffington said. "We feel like it's the biggest momentum play in basketball. It can be bad momentum against you or great momentum for you.
"We took seven, which we think is a record for the team since I've been here, and Trevor took four of them, and that might be an individual record. It caused unbelievable momentum changes and we had two or three different guys doing it."
There were plenty of chances to take charges in a game that featured 49 total fouls - 29 for Owasso and 21 for Helias.
The Rams were called for two of those charges in a first quarter that effectively won the game for the Crusaders, who took a 15-6 lead after the first eight minutes.
Helias got off to a great start on offense as well. Sam Husting canned the first two shots he took, both of them 3-pointers, to put the Crusaders up 6-0 and they never looked back.
"A quick start is key in this tournament, a three-day tournament, especially when you're playing a team from out of state that is maybe out of its normal environment or routine," Buffington said. "So a quick start against those guys was huge."
Helias kept the pressure on in the second quarter, outscoring Owasso 17-8 to take a 32-14 lead into the locker room. Husting added two more 3s in the frame, while Landon Harrison also hit a pair from deep. At intermission, Harrison had 14 points to match Owasso's team total and Husting had 12.
The Rams finally got their offense in gear in the third quarter, thanks in large part to an effective full-court press that forced six turnovers. Owasso outscored Helias 21-13 in the quarter to cut the deficit to 45-35 heading to the final period.
"We knew they were going to come after us and make a run," Buffington said. "Their pressure affected us a little bit in the third quarter, but we cleaned it up and made some great decisions down the stretch.
"We were playing a little bit not to lose instead of going for the dagger. In the fourth quarter, we finally started throwing over the top and going by people and were able to produce."
Kinzer Lambert did most of the damage for Owasso in the third, dropping in 16 of his game-high 32 points in the frame.
"We knew he was a mid- to high-major Division I talent, and he proved it tonight," Buffington said. "He's really hard to stay in front of, obviously."
Lambert added another 10 points in the fourth quarter, but couldn't get the Rams over the hump. The closest Owasso got was six - at 48-42 on a pair of Lambert free throws with 3:25 left.
But Helias got a layup from Trevor Koelling right after that and then took charges on two straight Owasso possessions to blunt the rally.
"We knew they could really go north and south, put their heads down and go, and get to the rim," Buffington said. "We knew if we were in proper help-side position, we were going to have a chance to take some charges. Our kids were tough and in the right spots."
The Crusaders made just one field goal in the fourth quarter - they were 1-of-7 on 2-pointers and 0-of-3 on 3s - but made 12-of-14 free throws to salt away the game.
Harrison and Husting combined for 41 of the Crusaders' 59 points with Harrison dropping in 21 and Husting adding 20.
"Strong guard play, smart guard play, will win you a lot of games, and I like our chances when the ball is in Sam's and Landon's hands," Buffington said.
Koelling narrowly missed a double-double, as he ended up with nine points and a game-high nine rebounds.
The Crusaders move into a winner's bracket semifinal game at 7 p.m. today against Upper Arlington (Ohio), a 65-51 winner against Raytown South. Owasso and Raytown South will meet in a loser's bracket semifinal at 4 p.m.