Helias boys down Rolla for district title

Helias forward Nathan Bax puts a shot up in heavy traffic during Saturday night's game against Rolla at Rackers Fieldhouse in Jefferson City.
Helias forward Nathan Bax puts a shot up in heavy traffic during Saturday night's game against Rolla at Rackers Fieldhouse in Jefferson City.

Trying to mount a comeback in the championship game of the Class 4 District 10 Tournament, the Rolla Bulldogs did their best to use the "shoot 3s and have the other team miss some free throws" routine.

The only problem? The Helias Crusaders refused to play their role in that scenario.

The Crusaders canned 21-of-23 free throws in the fourth quarter - on their way to an impressive 33-of-35 (94 percent) for the game - and captured a 74-60 win at Rackers Fieldhouse.

"That's big-time for us," Helias' Sam Husting said about the performance at the line. "We've been practicing our free throws a lot and our goal was to try to make more free throws than they shot, and I think we succeeded."

They more than just succeeded, as the Crusaders made 33 while the perimeter-based Bulldogs shot just eight.

Husting, who had a game-high 26 points, made his first 12 free throws in the fourth quarter to keep the fifth-ranked team in the state at bay, eventually making 13-of-14 in the frame.

Husting was 15-of-16 for the game and Adam Bax was 7-of-8, with four others making all their attempts in the game - Landon Harrison (4), Weston Porter (3), Trevor Koelling (2) and Alex Brandt (2).

"I'm not at all surprised by our composure at the line - we have a lot of leaders on this team," Helias coach Josh Buffington said. "We're a program."

That effort helped the second-seeded Crusaders end a skid against the top-seeded Bulldogs. Rolla won a regular-season meeting and the district championship game last season before winning the regular-season meeting this season.

"It was a huge win," said Bax, who posted a double-double with 18 points and 10 rebounds. "We've had our ups and downs this season, but to come back and get them after they had beaten us three times in a row was great."

Also posting a double-double for the Crusaders was Koelling, who had 12 points and 12 rebounds as Helias had a whopping 44-20 edge on the boards.

"Our guys were more dialed-in for this postseason than maybe any group I've ever had," Buffington said. "We've been through the grinder and we're battle-tested. They were ready and they proved it tonight."

The Crusaders trailed just once, as the Bulldogs used a 7-0 spurt early in the game to lead 9-6. But Helias responded with a 6-0 run to end the first quarter, leading 12-9, and never trailed again.

Helias outscored Rolla 16-6 in the second quarter, holding the high-octane Bulldogs to single digits in the first two periods on the way to a 25-18 halftime lead.

"Our game plan was to attack the rim," Buffington said. "We played side-to-side against these guys three times in a row and it didn't work. We needed to play downhill and get to the rim, not only by feeding the post, but with our guards, as well.

"When we attacked, we were able to get to the free-throw line, and that was a huge key."

While Helias (18-9) was up by seven at the break, it wasn't a content locker room, knowing Rolla (24-3) would make a charge.

"We knew they were going to make at least one run at us, if not several," Buffington said. "So how would we respond to it? We responded exactly how I knew our leaders would respond to it - we stayed poised and we stayed together. We did not fragment."

Helias matched its biggest lead of the second half at 34-20 following the last of four straight free throws for Bax.

Back-to-back 3s by the Bulldogs' Sam Marshall got the Rolla crowd energized. But Helias eventually had the lead back to 14 when Harrison, who ended up with 13 points, made a layup to make it 45-31.

The Helias lead was 45-33 heading to the fourth.

Rolla made one big push to start the quarter. When Kobe Wands, who had a team-high 25 points for the Bulldogs, made a 3 with 5:15 left, it was just 49-45 in favor of Helias.

"It took a lot of composure to win," Husting said. "We knew they weren't going to back away. They're a really good team and really well-coached, so we knew they were going to keep coming. We just had to fight back after every run they made."

On Helias' ensuing possession, the Crusaders got a huge three-point play by Bax on a third crack at the basket and the Bulldogs never got any closer.

Rolla self-destructed a bit down the stretch to help Helias claim the win, getting whistled for a pair of technical fouls. Helias made the ensuing free throws after both of them and also scored both times while getting the ball back for an additional possession.

It's not often you can score 27 points in a quarter and lose ground, but that's what Rolla did in the fourth quarter, with Helias putting up 29.

The win was notable for another reason, as it was the 200th of Buffington's career.

"That's not about me, it's about everybody that surrounds our program to make it successful - my wife, my family, the assistant coaches, the players, the parents, the administrators. The list goes on and on," Buffington said. "To do it with this group, in a district championship, against a rival that's been nearly unbeatable the last several years, is very special."

Buffington's two sons are rarely seen without basketballs, getting up shots whenever possible. It's safe to say this is one ball that's off-limits.

"They don't get to shoot this one," Buffington said with a smile. "It's going to go in our locker room right next to the team picture, because it's a team win."

Helias will now face St. Francis Borgia (19-7) at 7:45 p.m. Tuesday in the sectional round at Missouri S&T. Bax said he thinks the team is ready for the challenge ahead.

"We've seen every kind of team there is," he said. "We've played the toughest schedule in the state, I think. Every single one of those teams gave us a different look and (against Rolla) it showed how tough we are."