Crusaders fight off Oran for 58-55 win

~ Saxony Lutheran prevailed in a see-saw fourth quarter to improve to 9-1.

An early schedule filled with lopsided victories had the Saxony Lutheran boys basketball team off to a 8-1 start but with questions surrounding its ability to win the close one.

The Crusaders proved their mettle at home Thursday, securing a 58-55 win against Oran in a game that saw eight fourth-quarter lead changes.

"Ten games into the season and I believe we've won six games with a running clock at the end," Saxony Lutheran coach John Daniel said. "We needed to win a close game, and we got that opportunity tonight."

Former district foes, Saxony and Oran never let one another out of their sights Thursday. Oran enjoyed the biggest lead of the game at 14-8 late in the opening quarter. Overall, there were 20 lead changes and seven ties.

Saxony Lutheran grabbed the momentum late in the third quarter, when Max Wieser sparked the Crusaders with a pair of 3-pointers. Still, the Crusaders clung to just a 47-43 lead heading into the fourth quarter.

Oran scored the first five points of the fourth to go ahead 48-47, and the teams exchanged points the next five possessions. After the Crusaders edged out to a 54-52 lead on a free throw from Bret Steffens, Oran's offense went cold. The Eagles missed point-blank shots on four straight possessions, including two layups.

"We missed countless easy shots that, for whatever reason, they didn't want to go down," Oran coach Denver Stuckey said. "It just felt like we weren't meant to win this game."

The Crusaders could not take advantage of Oran's problems on offense, and Kody Campbell gave the Eagles a 55-54 lead on a three-point play with 48.4 seconds left. Clay Obergoenner put the Crusaders back on top with a pair of free throws, and successive turnovers from Oran paired with single free throws from Ben Courtois and Alex Jauch helped secure the win.

This was the first meeting between the two teams since Oran routed the Crusaders in an upset at last year's Class 1 District 2 tournament.

"It was physical and intense, just like our district game last year," Daniel said. "The difference was we matched their intensity. I'm proud of how our kids competed."

Jauch led the Crusaders with 22 points, 17 in the opening half. Wieser finished with 14 points, including four 3-pointers. Obergoenner added 10 points.

Campbell led the Eagles with 13 points, Chase Seyer had 12 and Chris Asmus and Robert Lange had 10 apiece.

"Hopefully we can learn from this," Stuckey said. "If we're going to be a successful team we have to learn how to win when all odds are against us."

Saxony Lutheran 58, Oran 55

Oran 14 15 14 12 -- 55

Saxony 10 22 15 11 -- 58

ORAN (55) -- Kody Campbell 13, Chase Seyer 12, Chris Asmus 10, Robert Lange 10, Cody Romas 7, Jake Kluesner 1, Steven Dooley 2. FG 23, FT 7-8, F 23 (3-pointers: Romas 1, Campbell 1. Fouled out: none)

SAXONY LUTHERAN (58) -- Alex Jauch 22, Max Wieser 14, Clay Obergoenner 10, Ben Courtois 3, Bret Steffens 4, Austin Kwikkel 2, Zach Bohnert 3. FG 21, FT 11-19, F 15 (3-pointers: Wieser 4, Bohnert 1. Fouled out: none)

JV -- Saxony Lutheran won.