Kaden Gallup intercepted a pass and dribbled two-thirds the length of the floor for the game-winning layup with three seconds left Thursday, Feb. 20, closing out a huge comeback for St. Paul Lutheran, where the Saints won at Crest Ridge 52-50, securing their third straight I-70 Conference regular-season championship. The visitors were able to score the last seven points of the game as they turned a 50-45 deficit into their thrilling, two-point victory. It was a battle where both sides had entered the evening unbeaten in league play with the hometown Cougars apparently ready double down on the 57-50 win they hammered out two months ago when they beat the Saints in the finals of the I-70 Conference Tournament, also at Crest Ridge.
St. Paul began the contest with a quick three-pointer and did lead for a couple of moments in the early going, but that was the last time the Saints had the upper hand until their game-winning heroics. The Cougars went on a 14-5 run to close out the first period with a 14-8 lead midway through the opening half. From there, the home team scored 15 of the next 21 points, widening the margin to 29-14 late in the second stanza. But that’s where St. Paul slowly began their comeback as the Saints closed out the half with their own 8-2 outburst slicing the margin to 31-22 at the break. Over the last two quarters, the Saints had momentum on their side, using some clutch three-point shooting to trail by two, 42-40 entering the final stanza.
St. Paul was able to tie the score three different times down the stretch, but found themselves behind, 50-45 with less than two minutes to go when they pieced together their decisive rally. A basket by the Saints’ Easton Sheets cut the margin to 50-47 which preceded a missed three-point try by the Cougars and opened the door some more for St. Paul. The Saints’ Ty McGinnis then drained a huge three from the left wing, deadlocking things at 50 with 1:10 left in the game. Crest Ridge took a couple of time outs and wound the clock down, looking for the last shot at the end of regulation. However, that’s where Kaden Gallup stepped into a passing lane and picked off a bounce pass, driving 60 feet for the go-ahead score. In the three seconds that were left, the Cougars got off a length of the floor pass to Wesley Taylor, who caught the ball in the corner, but missed a contested 21-foot jumper at the horn, wrapping up the Saints’ improbable victory.
St. Paul won because of their three-point shooting, knocking down 10 long-distance bombs compared to just one trifecta for the Cougars. The Saints had three people in double figures as Tate Kreisel tallied 15 points for the winners while Ty McGinnis chipped in with 14 and Kaden Gallup had 13. Meanwhile, Crest Ridge received 17 points from both Wesley Taylor and Gavin Wyatt while Wyatt Ducose added 12. Unfortunately for Crest Ridge, senior guard Gavin Wyatt had to sit out the last 25 seconds of the contest, having been poked in the eye during a St. Paul foul.
With the win, the Saints wind up the regular season, 7-0 in I-70 Conference play and 18-5 overall. For Crest Ridge, the loss dropped the Cougars to 6-1 in the league and 20-6 for the year. Ironically, these two teams could easily meet again next Friday in the championship game of the Class 2, District 14 Tournament being hosted by Crest Ridge.
Nearly The Same Script
Kicking off the evening, the girls’ matchup followed a similar pattern to the boys’ contest with Crest Ridge leading by a lot early and then trying to withstand a late St. Paul rally.
Down 4-2 just a couple of minutes into the action, the Cougars scored the next 17 points to lead 19-4 during the latter stages of the opening period. Crest Ridge was on top, 24-10 going into the second quarter only to see St. Paul slice the margin to three, 27-24 with just seconds left in the half. After that, the Cougars did maintain the lead all the way to the end, having owned a 42-34 advantage heading into the last eight minutes of action. Staying alive late, the Saints did connect on a couple of three-pointers to get back within three, 49-46 with seconds left, but Brilynn Fleming of Crest Ridge hit some late free throws to secure a 51-46 victory for the home team.
Avenging a 48-34 loss to St. Paul during the I-70 Conference Tournament back in December, the win allowed the Cougars to improve to 5-2 in the league and 20-5 for the year. Crest Ridge’s girls were led in this contest by 11 points from Laney Wilhite while Brilynn Fleming and Kayley Marten both chipped in with 10 and Gracen Van Wey added nine for their side. With the setback, St. Paul fell to 3-4 in the conference and 12-12 on the year. The Saints were paced by 17 points from Morgan Anderson while Bella Woods tossed in 10 points in a losing cause. Like the boys, these two girls’ teams could also meet again next week in the Class 2-District 14 Tournament which Crest Ridge is hosting.
Additional Scores From Thursday
Girls
Cairo 83 Sturgeon 36
California 59 Blair Oaks 17
Gallatin 56 Braymer 28
Harrisburg 70 New Bloomfield 12
Higbee 55 La Plata 28
New Franklin 48 Glasgow 31
Boys
Cairo 56 Sturgeon 51
Harrisburg 76 New Bloomfield 29
Higbee 56 La Plata 39
Sherwood 55 Chilhowee 26