Boys basketball: Helias rallies to beat Republic

ROGERSVILLE - The Helias Crusaders woke up in the second half.

"We played with a lot of intensity in the final two quarters," Helias coach Josh Buffington said after Thursday night's 57-51 win against Republic in the opening round of the Logan-Rogersville Tournament.

Republic, which beat Helias in triple overtime in the Class 4 semifinals last year, led 15-13 after one quarter Thursday and 30-24 at the half.

But intermission gave new life to the Crusaders. Helias cut the deficit to 37-34 after three quarters, then outscored Republic 23-14 in the final period.

"We played with more emotion, more passion," Buffington said. "We played Helias basketball."

Isiah Sykes finished with 18 points and six assists to lead the Crusaders. Adam Bax added 16 points, while Hale Hentges totaled 13 points, all in the second half.

Helias (13-4, ranked No. 4 in Class 4) will play in the semifinals at 7:30 p.m. today.

In the JV portion of the tournament, undefeated Strafford topped Helias 79-71. There were 57 fouls called in the game, with Strafford shooting 47 free throws.

Landon Harrison had 25 points for the Crusaders. Drew Boessen added 14, while Nathan Bax totaled 10.