Lift for Life came to Rackers Fieldhouse wanting to run up and down the court Monday night. That's exactly what the Helias Crusaders wanted.
Helias showed off its athleticism, keeping pace with the fast-paced Hawks, and the Crusaders knocked down plenty more shots than their opponent in a 77-49 victory.
"We did an excellent job of pushing the pace when we could get a stop, and we got some easy baskets on the other end," Helias coach Joe Rothweiler said. "Whether it was off a turnover or a defensive rebound, our guys had a purpose of getting out and trying to get an easy shot early. You have to do that against athletic teams."
Helias struggled from 3-point range early, making just 1-of-10 attempts in the first quarter. But that was OK, as the Crusaders shot 8-of-10 inside the arc during the opening eight minutes.
"For some reason, we're still getting off to slow starts consistently, whether it be from 3 or on the defensive end," Rothweiler said. "Tonight, it was from 3, but it was good that we were getting to the rim."
And with the missed 3s, Helias also grabbed plenty of offensive rebounds. The Crusaders outrebounded the Hawks 41-31 in the win.
"That was a big note on our board in pregame," Rothweiler said. "We had to dominate the boards.
"If you want to win games, that's probably the biggest stat: rebounding the basketball."
Helias used an 11-0 run in the first quarter to build a 13-4 lead and and never trailed after the midway point of the first quarter.
Lift for Life's Rico Singleton made a shot at the buzzer to make the score 19-11 after one quarter, but Desmond White scored in transition on back-to-back possessions with about 5:20 to go in the second quarter, as the Crusaders led 27-14 and were ahead by double digits the rest of the game.
Then the 3s finally fell for Helias, as White and Drew Schmidt hit back-to-back shots from distance to extend the lead to 37-19.
"It's almost like it's a weight off their shoulders when we hit one or two 3s in a row," Rothweiler said. "They just get relaxed."
Helias went into halftime leading 43-21. Then the third quarter belonged to Schmidt.
The senior guard scored 13 of his game-high 20 points in the third quarter, shooting 5-of-5 from the floor and making a pair of free throws.
"We call him the 'silent assassin,' because he doesn't say a word, he plays as hard as he can and he can put up points in a hurry," Rothweiler said.
Schmidt made a trio of 3s, but he scored most of his points in the third quarter attacking the basket. He split the lane for a layup, then went coast-to-coast off a steal to make the score 61-29 with 2:59 left in the third.
White knocked down a 3 from the left wing in the closing moments of the third quarter, as Helias doubled up Lift for Life at 68-34 heading into the fourth.
"We really got comfortable playing that fast pace tonight," Rothweiler said.
Lift for Life outscored Helias 15-9 in the fourth quarter. Singleton scored seven of his team-high 17 points in the final eight minutes for Lift for Life (0-3).
Schmidt was one of four Helias players to score in double figures. White finished with 16 points, making seven of his last 11 shots from the floor, while Malcolm Davis added 13 points with three 3s. Damon Johanns chipped in 12 points and matched White with a game-high nine rebounds.
Helias (2-1) will open Central Missouri Activities Conference play Thursday at home against Battle. The JV game starts at 5:30 p.m., followed by the varsity game at 7 p.m.
"We should be playing Battle every year, and I'm glad the conference is getting started now," Rothweiler said.
In the JV game, Lift for Life defeated Helias 66-50.
Jacob Rembecki had a team-high 10 points for Helias (2-3). Scott Haslag and Cristian Prasad each added eight points.