Hellige impressive in district win over Columbus

FORT MADISON - The estimation was an exaggeration.
Maybe.
Holy Trinity boys basketball coach John Hellige has always been the rebounder when his son, Luke, has worked on his shot.
“I've probably rebounded close to a million shots, I'm guessing, from him,” Hellige said. “I mean, we shoot basically every day, seven days a week, all year long.”
Hellige likely wasn’t exaggerating when he said, “He’s pretty easy to rebound for.”
Luke Hellige had one of those shooter’s nights in Monday’s Class 1A District 4 quarterfinal against Columbus at Shottenkirk Gym. He scored 43 points, making a school-record 11 3-pointers, as the Crusaders defeated the Wildcats 81-37.
Holy Trinity (18-4), the second seed in the district, will play host to third seed WACO (18-5) in Thursday’s 7 p.m. semifinal.
Luke Hellige wasn’t missing a lot of shots in this game, especially in the third quarter, when he scored 23 of the Crusaders’ 29 points in the quarter. He scored 14 consecutive points in one stretch as Holy Trinity turned a 19-point halftime lead into a running clock under the IHSAA’s 35-point mercy rule.
“It felt good,” Luke Hellige said. “My shot felt good. I was just hot, and my teammates were getting me the ball.”
His last three 3-pointers of the quarter came in the final minute, including one at the buzzer.

“I think sometimes he really, really gets locked in, John Hellige said. “Once he gets locked in and he’s finding the bottom of the net, he can really get going.”
It was the fourth consecutive win for the Crusaders, who took control of the game in the second quarter. They led 21-13 with seven minutes left in the quarter, then went on a 9-0 run.
“We watched film on them, and it was amazing how many threes they shot,” John Hellige said. “A lot of their twos were really tough shots, and they can make them. So we knew they could score points. We just had to try to slow them down.”
Luke Hellige had 12 points in the first half, but his show was just starting.
“We had a little bit of a slow start to the game, but I felt good the whole game,” he said. “Like I said, my teammates got me the ball, and I made shots.”
“Honestly, it was a little bit overwhelming watching him tonight,” John Hellige said. “It was fun to see, though. A very memorable night.”
The Crusaders also got 10 points each from Adam Sobczak, Layne Rung and Corbin Van Niewaal.
|Ellis Hills-Carrier had 14 points for Columbus.
Now the Crusaders face WACO, a team they beat 57-35 in the season opener on December 2.
“It’s always good to get that first win (in the postseason),” John Hellige said. “We feel like we can do some damage this year, and I like how we’re playing right now.”