Despite opening the game against Braham with two three-pointers, St. Croix Lutheran saw its early lead quickly diminished by a Bombers offense that averaged 102 points per game entering Saturday afternoon’s meeting in the Breakdown Sports USA Tip Off Classic at Minnetonka High School.
Braham's proficiency from behind the three-point line - they made 6 of 8 in the opening half - caused the Crusaders to start biting on pump fakes, which opened lanes for the Bombers to complete easy lay-ins and take a nine-point lead at halftime.
“That first half, we were jumping on everything, every little ball fake,” St. Croix Lutheran coach Jay Wendland said. “Those drives started to open up for them in the first half and they ate us alive.”
The Crusaders, however, stayed grounded in the second half and pulled away to best the Bombers 86-75.
“We stayed down on those shot fakes, which allowed us to have any sort of blocking that was going to happen from our help side,” Wendland said. "We were able to force up some shots from them and ultimately rebound the basketball and let our defense trigger our offense."
The second-ranked team in Class 2A by Minnesota Basketball News, St. Croix Lutheran (6-1) kept its feet planted on defensive but found chances to soar on offense in the second half, with fast-break dunks coming from seniors Ade Murkey and Trenton Krueger.
Murkey’s one-handed jam with 15 minutes left to play ignited a Crusaders’ 22-point run.
“Him putting it down emphasized that it’s our game and we can’t give it up,” Krueger said.
At 6-foot-5 and 6-6, respectively, Murkey and Krueger are St. Croix Lutheran's inside presences. Joining them is senior guard Aage Rovney, who's started alongside the duo for three years.
“We have a bond that really can’t be broken. Our chemistry together helps us always know where everyone’s gonna be at and we know our roles for each other,” Murkey said.
Rovney dished a long pass downcourt to Krueger, who slammed the ball down with six minutes remaining to derail momentum from the Bombers (5-1) just as they got their offense rolling again.
“Watching one of your teammates dunk it, it makes me want to do the same thing,” Murkey said.
Murkey got his chance soon after, as No. 3-2A Braham began pressing. The ploy opened the court for a long pass from Krueger that Murkey dunked as the duo continued to feed off each other.
On a final note, Krueger shook the gym in the final two minutes with a vicious block. The ball went out of bounds and ultimately resulted in a Bombers’ three-pointer.
“I was thinking I should have grabbed it because they got a three off of that, but getting that block kept me going,” he said.
Despite the perceived fault, it was the type of play that corralled the team.
“If we play defense, great things will come. We gotta make it tough on them and that’s what Trenton did there making a good block,” Murkey said.
The Crusaders returned all but two players from a team that took third place at last year's Class 2A state tournament, and their trio of veteran starters look to finish strong this year and carry on tradition before moving on to play college basketball.
“It’s a little weird having our final year,” Krueger said. “It’s nice to teach these younger kids and show them how to play, so when we leave they can keep it going.”
#24 Chris Olson lead Braham with 25 points, 18 in the first half. Photo by Cheryl Myers
First Report
Senior Ade Murkey paced St. Croix Lutheran to a 86-75 win over Braham, scoring 19 of his team-leading 23 points after halftime in the matchup at the Breakdown Sports USA Tip Off Classic Saturday at Minnetonka High School.
Ranked No. 2 in Class 2A by Minnesota Basketball News, the Crusaders (6-1) started the second half on a 25-4 run to deal that cemented the No. 3-2A Bombers' first loss of the season.
Braham (5-1) held a 42-33 lead at halftime behind senior Chris Olson, who scored 18 of his game-high 25 points in the opening half.
A dunk by Murkey with 15 minutes remaining to play sparked the Crusaders’ run as the team scored 22 unanswered points.
St. Croix Lutheran senior Trenton Krueger posted 20 points and 21 rebounds.
