Calvary Lutheran didn't make getting its seventh win of the season easy Friday.
The Lions (7-6) trailed at the end of the first three quarters, and could only come within four points of the Tigers for much of that stretch. Yet Calvary Lutheran overcame that deficit early in the fourth quarter and ended up with 68-59 win at home.
Head coach Mark Buffington opted to describe the game with a phrase often said from the manager of his favorite baseball team.
"I'm a Cardinal fan so I hear Mike Matheny grinding out at-bats and perseverance and sticking with it like that's kind of what we did tonight," Buffington said. "They've played through a lot of adversity already throughout the season with players hurt and that kind of thing. They're learning and now the seniors have really stepped up and showed some great leadership. So we had some tough things happen tonight but our kids stuck through it and didn't let it get them down."
Calvary Lutheran trailed 18-13 after the first quarter, 32-27 at halftime and 47-43 at the end of the third.
The Lions stayed within striking distance, but they had trouble stringing together enough shots to tie it. Calvary Lutheran's longest run in the first three quarters was only a 5-0 one.
The final frame is when the Lions' shots finally started to sink.
Junior Jimmie Wehmeyer's layup with 7:20 left brought the Lions within one points before Buffington took a timeout. Calvary Lutheran followed with two 3's from senior Colin Bernskoetter and one from junior Matt Allen to give the Lions a 57-51 lead they would not give up.
"It was huge because it gave us confidence when we needed a big basket. I know Colin hit a couple of huge baskets, Matt Allen coming off the bench hit a big 3 in the fourth quarter there," Buffington said. "We weren't shooting real well first half but we were hanging around and I felt like if we could get the lead I felt like we could hold it, and we did. I'm proud of the kids, it was a great win for us and hopefully we can keep playing well."
Bernskoetter finished 3-of-3 from beyond the 3-point line to help him finish with a game-high 21 points. Luke Allen finished with 16 points and Wehmeyer had 15.
Before the shots started falling, the Lions kept themselves in the game by limiting Stoutland's second-chance scoring opportunities. Calvary Lutheran out-rebounded Stoutland 30-29, with Wehmeyer leading the way with nine for the Lions.
"That was one of the things I was worried about going into the game because I knew they were big and physical and new that we would have to keep them off the boards," Buffington said. "They rebounded some, but I thought our defense, besides the shots we were making, I thought our defense was really key. Keeping them from getting good shots and giving them only one opportunity."
Stoutland had 13 players at least 6-feet tall compared to seven for Calvary Lutheran. The size and physicality of the Tigers is why Buffington thought coming into Friday's game Stoutland (3-10) was better than its record indicated.
"Physical team, they didn't have a good record but they're a pretty doggone good team and they've played some good competition," Buffington said. "That was a good win for us, beat a good team."
The win helped get the Lions, who usually practice on Saturdays, a weekend off. Calvary Lutheran hosts Russellville at 6 p.m. Tuesday.
"I think it's a good time for them to rest, it's getting kind of late in the season," Buffington said. "Know that each game is different and you can't rest on your laurels as they say. We're playing well and keep working and we can still get better."