Light's basket lifts Oak Ridge past Saxony Lutheran boys

OAK RIDGE, Mo. -- Junior Jacob Light failed to resemble a kid who scored the game-winning basket in the final minute Friday night.

Light returned to the court after his team's 52-50 victory over Saxony Lutheran to practice free throws.

He stood at the foul line methodically pumping shots through the net as fans and parents milled around.

"I'm just mad my shot's not right right now," he said. "I wasn't holding my follow-through."

Light showed no emotion as he converted significantly more free throws than he missed during his postgame practice session.

He'd won the game after taking a pass from senior Brett Thomas and laying in a bucket with 33 seconds left.

But Light was too focused on his struggles from the free-throw line, where he went 3 of 8.

"It would have been worse if we lost," Light said. "I shot atrocious from the line. I'm usually 6 for 8. It was bad."

Thomas, who will play baseball at the University of Missouri in the spring of 2012, used his pitching skills to toss a long pass to a streaking Light, who corralled the pass before hitting the shot.

"I saw Jacob Light running the court," Thomas said. "He's probably our best transition player. He can really run the floor. That guy came charging toward me and I just had to get it over his hands. Jacob finished right there to give us the lead. That was big."

Light's basket gave the Blue Jays a 52-50 lead, but the Crusaders (2-2) got a great shot at the lead when senior Gus Klaus launched a 3 that circled the rim and kicked out with 12 seconds left.

The Blue Jays grabbed the rebound, and Light went to the line with a chance to ice the game with 7 seconds left. But Light came up short on his first attempt. After a timeout, Light's second attempt also came up short, giving the Crusaders a final chance.

Saxony coach Sam Sides called timeout to direct his troops. Kris Cook got off a 3-pointer from in front of his bench, but it was well short, and Oak Ridge rebounded it.

"We was trying to hit the guy in the middle then turn and hit those guys going down the side," Sides said. "We kind of screwed it up, but we got a shot off. He's upset he missed it, but he did a good job of getting a shot off."

Saxony led for most of the second half behind some solid shooting from long range in the third quarter. Klaus drained three 3-pointers, but the Crusaders couldn't shake Oak Ridge.

The 3-pointers dried up for Saxony in the fourth quarter, when it went 0 for 5 from long range. The Blue Jays (4-1) also applied more pressure, which resulted in seven turnovers in the fourth quarter by the Crusaders.

"We just couldn't take care of the ball good enough, which you have to do in a close game," Sides said. "We missed a few shots, took some bad shots too."

Saxony's struggles allowed Oak Ridge to make a move. The Blue Jays went a measly 1 of 7 from behind the arc in the second half, but the one proved huge.

Saxony clung to a three-point lead with less than two minutes left when Thomas unleashed a 3-pointer from beyond NBA 3-point range.

"I have been shooting terrible lately," he said. "I hit a couple today and my shot felt on. I saw a gap and I didn't really see the 3-point line. I thought I was right on it."

Thomas drained it.

"We're trying to guard him the whole time," Sides said. "We just had a lapse moment and he made us pay for it."

Oak Ridge coach Adam Stoneking said he watches Thomas hit long-range shots all the time in practice so he had no problem with Thomas heaving a shot from so far from the basket.

"If he gets it and he has the confidence in himself, I tell him to shoot it," Stoneking said. "He has the green light as long as he takes good shots."

Saxony 13 16 13 8 -- 50

Oak Ridge 10 18 11 13 -- 52

SAXONY LUTHERAN (50) -- Gus Klaus 19, Trent Steffens 2, Kris Cook 2, Clayton Carver 11, Taylor Johnson 2, Clay Roth 2, Matt Wills 6, Shawn Hadler 2, Gabe Bohnert 4. FG 20, FT 4-8, F 20, (3-pointers: Carver 3, Klaus 3. Fouled out: none)

OAK RIDGE (52) -- Ryan Below 7, Kyle Rohde 4, Jacob Light 11, Caleb Elam 8, Brett Thomas 22. FG 21, FT 7-19, F 11. (3-pointers: Thomas 3. Fouled out: none)

JV -- Oak Ridge won 47-38.