Nikes stay perfect with win over Crusaders

BURLINGTON — One good quarter wasn’t enough for Holy Trinity’s boys basketball team.
Notre Dame’s 59-43 win over the Crusaders on Friday night was built on the final three quarters, when two runs by the Nikes took away whatever momentum Holy Trinity had.
“I just think the turnovers caught up to us more than anything,” Holy Trinity coach John Hellige said. “We had talked about that, trying to keep the turnovers low, but Notre Dame is awful athletic. And we just got forced into some really poor decisions.”
The Crusaders (3-3 overall, 2-3 SEISC South Division) had their three-game winning streak snapped heading into the Christmas break.
“I think we had a little bit of an identity crisis in those first two games,” Hellige said. “And then the next three games, guys stepped into roles that maybe they didn't have last year, and they excelled in those roles. You think about Jay Ellison hitting seven 3-pointers at Van Buren, and Layne Rung with three straight 20-point games. Jack (Ragar) has been fantastic, Corbin Van Niewaal had a great game in Danville. I think after the break we need to bring that new identity and consistency, night in and night out, and just keep building.”
The Crusaders led this game 12-4 after the first quarter, keeping the Nikes (7-0, 5-0) scoreless over the final 4:56.

But Shay Stephens, scoreless in the first quarter, got going. Stephens, who is committed to Western Illinois for next season, scored 15 points in the quarter — he would finish with 30 for the game — and sparked the Nikes to a 25-18 halftime lead. Stephens had 10 points in the Nikes’ 14-1 run that gave them a lead they wouldn’t surrender.
Ragar had 11 points in the half, but Rung, who averaged 24.7 points in the Crusaders’ winning streak, had just four.
“Layne has been sick as a dog the last couple of days,” Hellige said. “He gave it everything he had tonight, but his battery is at about 50% I mean, the last few games have just been amazing tonight. He gave it everything he had tonight, but he just didn't have full energy.”
Notre Dame built a 34-22 lead early in the third quarter before the Crusaders went on an 8-2 run capped by a Rung 3-pointer. The margin was 39-33 with 59 seconds left in the third quarter before the Nikes went on a 16-1 run that lasted deep into the fourth quarter.
“Our bench was a little short tonight, and I think in that fourth quarter we got a little gassed, and we got into some foul trouble,” Hellige said.
Rung finished with 15 points. Ragar finished with 14.
“We’re playing the long game here,” Hellige said. “Hopefully we'll see this team three times. Maybe we can learn a little bit about us and about them each time.”