Kruse goes for 20 in Crusaders' win

Seeing the heights on Highland’s roster was enough to convince Holy Trinity girls basketball coach Shawn Hopper that Adalyn Kruse was going to have a big night.
He was right.
Kruse scored 20 points as the Crusaders held off Highland 54-46 in Thursday’s SEISC Shootout game at Shottenkirk Gym.
Kruse is listed at 5-foot-10, while the Huskies had only one player over 5-7.
“I didn't know a whole lot about Highland, and you can only get so much from heights (on the online roster) and watching video,” Hopper said. “But when I watched them warm up, I just had a feeling that we can dominate a little bit more on the post than we normally do.”
Kruse, who came into the game averaging 9.2 points, was dominant inside, although she got knocked around with the physical play that she’s gotten used to over the season.
There were the usual post-game aches and pains, but Kruse laughed when reminded that at one point after she got knocked to the court, teammate Elizabeth Griffin accidentally bounced the ball off Kruse’s head.
“You just don’t worry about what’s going to happen,” Kruse said. “Just put the ball in the basket. It doesn’t matter at this point what’s going to happen.”
“She’s stubborn,” Hopper said. “She’s just tough.”
Kruse’s best play of the night came on her final points with eight seconds to play, when she cut to the basket for an offensive rebound off a missed free throw and scored to provide the game’s final margin.
“I thought about just holding the ball,” Kruse said, considering the Crusaders’ lead and how little time there was left. “But I just put it back up. It’s instinct.”
“She’s got a nose for the ball,” Hopper said. “I remember last year when she was a freshman, she came in and you could just tell that the ball just finds her, which means she finds the ball. She's just one of those players that just knows. She reads the rim. That’s a skill not everyone has.”
The Crusaders (15-6) led 14-2 in the opening minutes of the game and never trailed, although the Huskies (15-7) rallied in the second half. Highland hit eight 3-pointers in the game, but seven came in the second half, as the Huskies closed to within four points in the final minute.
“When we did the scout, they've got four girls that have hit over 18 threes on the season,” Hopper said. “So when they were not hitting threes, we were very fortunate. So it was only a matter of time — you keep throwing them up there, eventually you're going to start hitting them. And they start hitting them at the end. Luckily, we were able to withstand it, hit some free throws, and walk away with a win.
“This was a big win.”
Griffin had 14 points for the Crusaders. Teagan Snaadt added 12.
Kamryn Fink led Highland with 13 points. Emersyn Shultz had 11 and Katelyn Thomann had 10.