The Helias Lady Crusaders got the shot they wanted, it just didn’t fall.
The Lady Crusaders had a potential tying 3-pointer rattle off the rim at the buzzer Wednesday night as Helias dropped a 56-53 decision to the Lutheran: St. Charles Cougars in a meeting of Class 5 ranked teams at Rackers Fieldhouse.
“It was a play to get a 3, we got a good look, it just didn’t fall,” Helias coach Garrett Wiggans said.
The exciting finish was typical of the brand of basketball played throughout much of the game between the No. 1 Lady Crusaders and No. 7 Cougars.
“They presented a great challenge, but we battled all night and made it a game down to the last possession,” Wiggans said.
The biggest lead in the early going for either team was three points as the first quarter ended tied at 14.
A 3-pointer by Adalyn Koelling in the opening minute of the second quarter gave Helias a 17-16 advantage. It was the final time the Lady Crusaders led in the game.
The Cougars went on an 8-0 run in the next five-plus minutes to take a 24-17 lead. The teams swapped points the remainder of the quarter, with a 3-pointer by Kyril Franklin with :30 left giving Lutheran: St. Charles a 34-25 lead at the half.
Lutheran: St. Charles finished 14-of-26 from the field in the first half, while Helias was 9-of-28.
“When you leave points off the board, it can be tough to overcome, especially when you’re having problems getting rebounds,” Wiggans said. “There are only so many possessions in a game and you have to make shots when you get them.”
Helias trailed by as many as 10 points early in the third quarter, that coming at 40-30. The Lady Crusaders whittled into the deficit the rest of the quarter, with a layup by Abby Verslues cutting the Cougars’ lead to 46-40 heading into the final eight minutes.
The Cougars led by nine at 52-43 a little more than two minutes into the fourth quarter before the Lady Crusaders battled back.
Mikah Edwards hit a 3-pointer with 2:03 remaining to pull Helias within three at 53-50. A pair of Kenadi Harrison free throws with 1:01 remaining trimmed the Lutheran: St. Charles lead to 54-53.
Jordan Speiser of the Cougars made it 56-53 on a basket with :48 left. Both teams had empty possessions before Helias got the ball back in the final seconds to set up the final shot.
“Super happy with the effort all game, disappointed with the execution because I know what these girls are capable of, what they can do,” Wiggans said.
With four starters measuring 6-foot or taller, Lutheran: St. Charles was the longest team Helias has played this season. The Cougars finished with a 33-21 edge on the boards.
“The effort was there, 100 percent,” Wiggans said. “We battled even though we were outmatched, height-wise. Sometimes a girl is just bigger than you.
“We have to do a better job of boxing out to limit the chances of giving up rebounds.”
Helias made up for some of that rebounding deficit by turning the ball over just six times to 14 for Lutheran: St. Charles.
“Our scouting report said the team that made the fewest mistakes was going to win,” Wiggans said. “There’s more to mistakes than turnovers. We flat-out missed too many layups tonight and that classifies as a mistake.”
Megan Aulbert, who earlier Wednesday was named a McDonald’s All American nominee, led Lutheran: St. Charles (12-2) with 16 points and 12 rebounds.
“She’s strong and physical,” Wiggans said. “We know we’re going to see players like that down the road and we have to do better against players like that.”
Kennedy Stowers added 12 points for the Cougars, while Speiser added 11.
Harrison had 12 points to lead Helias, while Claire Galbraith and Koelling added 11 points each. Koelling had a team-high six rebounds.
“Claire did a great job on both ends of the floor,” Wiggans said.
Helias (12-2) is off until Tuesday when the Lady Crusaders travel to Columbia to take on Class 6 No. 8 Hickman. The Central Missouri Activities Conference contest is slated for a 7 p.m. start.
“We’re going to band together, the girls on the floor and the girls on the bench,” Wiggans said.
In Wednesday’s JV game, Helias hit 5-of-6 free throws in overtime to take a 42-38 win against Lutheran: St. Charles. Maddy Larkin had 11 points for the Lady Crusaders, while Lauren Verslues and Lydia Moellers added 10 points each.