The Helias Crusaders had the kind of shooting night you would be hard pressed to come up with shooting by yourself in an empty gym.
Performing on a much bigger stage - in front of a packed house at Rackers Fieldhouse in the final game of Saturday's Central Bank Shootout - the Crusaders shot 75 percent from 3-point range in the first half against Blair Oaks.
And that 75 percent wasn't on something like a measly 3-of-4 effort, as the Crusaders canned 9-of-12 in the opening two quarters.
The Crusaders went on to make a total of 14-of-24 from deep (58 percent) and made 35-of-53 overall (66 percent) while beating the Falcons 88-55.
"We've been a pretty good shooting team all year, but we haven't been a great shooting team because we've been inconsistent at getting all of our shooters going on the same night," Helias head coach Josh Buffington said. "Tonight, we got them all going on the same night."
He wasn't kidding. In addition to Landon Harrison shooting a scorching 6-of-7 from beyond the arc, Weston Porter made 3-of-5 and Sam Husting hit 3-of-6. In addition, Alex Brandt went 1-of-2 and Adam Bax was 1-of-3 as five different Crusaders had a 3.
"As they say, we ran into a buzzsaw," Blair Oaks coach Ryan Fick said. "They shot the ball extremely well. I know they've shown that, that they are capable of that."
Missing one injured starter and with another one limited while fighting an illness, the Falcons knew Saturday's game was going to be an uphill battle. It proved to be just that right from the start, as the Crusaders raced out to a 10-2 lead. And in a drastic contrast to what would come later, four of their baskets came on layups and the other was on a short jump-hook in the paint.
But the long-distance onslaught started soon after, and Harrison closed the period with a 3 that gave Helias its biggest lead to that point at 25-13.
"Early on, we were back on our heels a little bit defensively, especially in transition," Fick said. "They did a good job of finding the open guy in transition, and bottom line, they knocked down shots. As the half went along, we did a better job of contesting shots and getting to shooters, and they still continued to knock down shots."
Helias outscored Blair Oaks 24-17 in the second quarter to lead 49-30 at the break, thanks in large part to Harrison. The point guard was a perfect 5-of-5 in the quarter, with four of those shots 3-pointers. His lone 2-pointer came with :01 left in the half when he rebounded a missed 3 and put home a layup.
"We relaxed, expecting the buzzer to go off, and they kept playing until the horn and scored," Fick said.
At halftime, the Crusaders had made 19-of-29 shots (66 percent).
"Offensively we really clicked tonight," Buffington said. "... All of our shots were out of the flow. The ball wasn't touching the ground, we weren't holding it, the world wasn't stopping. It was flying around, it was inside-out, it was seeing both sides, so our shooters were really getting good looks in rhythm."
Helias outscored Blair Oaks 22-16 in the third quarter to go up 71-46 heading to the fourth. The bulk of the final period was played with a running clock due to the mercy rule and the 33-point final margin was Helias' biggest lead of the game.
"(The Crusaders) run their stuff about as well as anybody we've played," Fick said. "They do a great job of knowing what they're looking for, and having the patience to wait for it to be there. You've got a lot of kids on that team that have played a lot of basketball over the years and they've played a lot of basketball together, and they're reaping the benefits of that."
Harrison and Husting matched Blair Oaks' output by themselves, with Harrison ripping the nets for 29 points and Husting pumping in 26.
"What a dynamic game from both those guys," Buffington said. "And when the ball is in their hands a lot, good things are going to happen. They both handle it on a string and you can space the floor with them. They're hard to guard when you have to come out and get them and you're playing from behind."
Trevor Koelling was the third Crusader to reach double digits, as he chipped in with 10 points.
The Falcons put three in double figures, as Jordan Hair and Jason Rackers had 12 apiece and Kellen Griep had 11.
Helias (13-7) returns to action Friday at Hickman, while Blair Oaks (14-7) hosts Eldon on Tuesday.