ROCKFORD — Only one Byron player had more than one basket until the final two minutes. Only one Lutheran player finished with more than two.
“We’re teams that focus so predominantly on half-court defense, when we get together, it’s like we set basketball back 50 years,” Lutheran coach Devin Smith said.
And that’s fine with Smith. Especially when his Crusaders take an early lead. Byron never got closer than six points after the first period as Lutheran led wire-to-wire in a 45-33 boys basketball victory Saturday night that moved the Crusaders into second place in the Big Northern West.
Six different Crusaders scored helping Lutheran to an early 13-8 lead. A 7-0 run made it 20-8 midway through the second quarter. A 6-0 Byron run pulled the Tigers to within 20-14 early in the second half, but Taylor Dixon made a 3 and Nathan Green scored on a drive to expand Lutheran’s lead to 25-14. Byron (12-4, 2-2) never came closer than eight points again.
“When our team gets off to a good start, it just rolls over into the second, third and fourth quarters,” Lutheran center Jordan Countryman (11 points) said. “That’s when we really excel. If we start well, it holds up the rest of the way.”
Especially when the Crusaders play defense like this. Byron, playing without forward Doug Lillibridge (sprained ankle), shot 29 percent (12-for-42). Lutheran shot 52 percent (15-for-28).
Junior forward Adam Head, who scored 18 of Byron’s 25 points in the first 30 minutes, was the Tigers’ only offensive threat most of the game.
“My teammates couldn’t get the ball to me that easy; it was a rough game all around,” said Head, who added “it doesn’t seem right” to be held to 25 points until the last 90 seconds.
“Usually, everyone will contribute a little. Tonight, we just couldn’t get started. Recently we haven’t been able to shoot that well, but we’re going to start clicking. I know it.”
Byron had edged Lutheran 46-42 in the finals of the Oregon Thanksgiving tournament, but the Crusaders (12-4, 4-1) learned their lesson in that game and previous meetings with the Tigers.
“Byron is such a methodical half-court team, both offensively and defensively,” Lutheran’s Smith said. “They really know how to punish you if they get a 6- to 10-point lead. We learned from that the last two years. We decided, you know what, if we get the lead, we’re going to be methodical and slow things down. When we got the lead, it was a chess match to keep our best defensive players out there.”
— Matt Trowbridge, rrstar.com
