HELLIGE
RUNG
John Bohnenkamp for Pen City Current Sports
WAYLAND - John Hellige wanted his Holy Trinity boys basketball team to get stronger, because it would help the Crusaders down the stretch of grueling games.
One game into the season, the work has paid off.
Holy Trinity’s 59-50 win at WACO on Monday night was about a dominant second half for the Crusaders, who scored 36 points in the final two quarters after trailing 29-23 at halftime.
“You can see the difference the weight room has made for this team,” Hellige said. “It’s super-exciting to see this team develop right before our eyes.”
It was something sophomore Layne Rung could sense.
“Oh, for sure,” Rung said. “It’s just pushing through everything, being aggressive, and playing our roles.”
Rung, who scored 23 points, sparked the second-half run with three 3-pointers in the third quarter as the Crusaders whittled at the Warriors’ lead.
“I just had a lot of confidence, and did what I could to help the team win,” said Rung, who had six 3-pointers, and had 11 of the Crusaders’ 13 points in the second quarter.
The fourth quarter then belonged to senior Conner Gehling and junior Luke Hellige. Hellige had 14 of his 23 points in the quarter, while Gehling had seven of his 13 points.
“I think we’ve just gained so much experience over the last couple of seasons,” John Hellige said. “Guys like Conner and Luke, Adam (Sobczak) and Maddox (Rung), they’ve played so much.
That experience showed as Holy Trinity made 10 of their 11 fourth-quarter free throws.
“You know, for the first time in a few years, we had the confidence, we had the composure to finish the game,” Hellige said. “We knocked down free throws and took care of the ball, and that’s a good sign for this team.”
“I think the speech we got during halftime really got us pumped up, and I think it really fueled us,” Layne Rung said. “We wanted to beat this team and prove to the (SEI Superconference) how good we are.”
Gehling, Luke Hellige and Layne Rung were the only players to score for the Crusaders.
“It’s just the type of team we have,” John Hellige said. “Maddox and Adam can score, and we want them to score. But they also want a win, and their effort on defense and getting the ball to the open shooters was just as important to us.”
Hunter Hughes led WACO with 21 points. Colton Leichty had 15.
Holy Trinity plays host to Danville in the SEI Superconference South Division opener for both teams on Tuesday.
“We didn’t celebrate a ton in the locker room,” Hellige said. “It’s just one step for us, and we’ve got to be ready for Danville tomorrow night.”
Comments
No comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here