Hellige notches 100th at Crusaders roll

FORT MADISON - John Hellige opened the door to the Holy Trinity boys basketball locker room and was immediately showered with cold water by his cheering players.
“Really cold,” Hellige said. “They must have had it in a freezer somewhere.”
“Oh it was freezing,” laughed senior Layne Rung.
Monday’s 51-34 win over Winfield-Mount Union at Shottenkirk Gym was the 100th varsity win of Hellige’s coaching career, and it was worth celebrating.
“John, he's been a huge part of my basketball career, and I know everyone in the locker room really loves having him around,” said Rung, who led the Crusaders with 18 points. “He means a lot to us, and to get that win for him, it’s huge.”
“I had no idea that they were doing some stuff for me, but it's big,” said Hellige, who received a commemorative basketball and a sign acknowledging the milestone. “You know, it shouldn't take you 10 years to get 100 wins. But we've worked hard here to rebuild and get the program the right direction. And to me, the 100 wins is more of a reflection on the players and the assistant coaches and all of the process that's gone in to get there.”
It was the second win for the Crusaders over the Wolves since W-MU won the Class 1A substate matchup between the two teams in 2024.
“We had a little chip on our shoulder,” Rung said. “Winfield eliminated us from substate two years ago, and we knew that getting the win against this team would mean a lot to (Hellige).”
What made it even a better win for Hellige was how the Crusaders (4-5) took control of the game early and never let the Wolves (8-3) make a run.

Holy Trinity held W-MU to single digits until a late basket in the first half made the score 21-10 at halftime.
“Just a great defensive effort in the first half,” Hellige said. “And we had so many shots that went in and out, we probably could have led by more at halftime. But I think we were patient, and we played tough defense to hold a team to 10 points.”
“I think it's just hard work in practice and the way we communicate,” Rung said of the success of the Crusaders’ defense. “We do a really good job in practice, just talking with each other, being loud, communicating. So I think when we work that hard in practice, it really shows.”
The Wolves made a run to start the second half, getting to within 25-19 before the Crusaders pulled away again. They closed the third quarter with a 9-2 run started by five consecutive points from Rung.
“In the second half, we really tried to focus on transition, getting out and running, beating their press down the court, or beating their zone down the court,” Hellige said. “And thought the kids did a really good job with some of the run-outs and some of the ball reversals when we did get into our half-court (offense).
“We talked about just weathering the runs. You know, just weather the storm, get through it, respond with our own run.”
“We knew they were going to make a run,” Rung said. “We just had to keep our composure.”
Jack Ragar added 15 points for the Crusaders, who were playing the first of four games this week. They are home Tuesday against Danville, play at West Burlington on Friday, then play host to city rival Fort Madison on Saturday.
“Great start to the week,” Hellige said. “Now let’s play the next three games and keep the momentum going.”