Saxony Lutheran boys basketball rallies past Woodland, advances to district final

Straddled with his fourth foul early in the second period of Tuesday's Class 3 District 2 semifinal, Saxony Lutheran junior William Rogers was forced to watch the rest of the first half from the bench.

He stepped back onto the court roughly eight minutes later and sparked his team in a big way.

Rogers scored all but two of his 17 points in the second half, leading the second-seeded Crusaders to a 66-54 victory over third-seeded Woodland in front of a packed gymnasium at Scott City High School.

"He's a gamer," Saxony coach Kevin Williams said about Rogers, who finished 8 of 8 from the free-throw line. "I really think people underestimate how good he is. He's hard to stop with the ball in his hands."

"... I'm just really proud of our guys. They could've quit early on. They're young. They haven't been under the bright lights before, and it doesn't get any brighter than it was tonight. And I think they came of age a little bit."

Saxony Lutheran coach Kevin Williams and his players on the bench celebrate a basket against Woodland.

Williams delivered a simple message to Rogers at halftime. "Don't foul," he told him, and Rogers followed through by playing without a foul for the remainder of the second half.

"There were a couple times where normally he goes and makes a block or goes and gets a rebound where he gave up on the play, and that's what you have to do," Williams said. "That's maturity, and that's how you stay in the game. So that was a great job on his part of just understanding what he had to do to stay in the game."

The win moves Saxony (24-4) into the district championship against top-seeded and defending champion Charleston, which defeated No. 5 East Prairie 65-49 in the other semifinal. Tip-off is slated for 7:30 p.m. Thursday.

There aren't many people who are more familiar with the Bluejays than Williams, who remembers many of the team's current players from his days as a physical education teacher at Charleston Middle School.

"I remember when they were in seventh and eighth grade, how good they were then," Williams said. "They're quick, and they're physical. And they just live in the gym. I just think it's really going to be a great game for Southeast Missouri. It's going to be fun to watch, a lot of talent on the floor."

Woodland's Zach Beel looks for an opening as Saxony Lutheran's Nathan Ruark defends during the second quarter of a Class 3 District 2 semifinal Tuesday, Feb. 23, 2016 in Scott City.Fred Lynch

A 3-pointer by Bruester Young gave Woodland (20-7) a 50-48 lead with 5 minutes, 35 seconds remaining in the game before Rogers answered on the other end, pulling up from beyond the left elbow and knocking down a triple that gave the Crusaders the lead for good with 5:18 left.

Jake Long converted a putback that pulled the Cardinals within a point, 53-52, with 2:51 to go. Jalen Williams answered for Saxony, draining a trey from the left key that sparked a 13-2 run during the final 2:30 of the game.

The Crusaders secured the win at the free-throw line. They finished 13 of 14 (93 percent) at the charity stripe in the final period.

"They're good shooters, all of them. I expect that from them," Kevin Williams said about his players, who combined to shoot 19 of 27 (70 percent) from the free-throw line. "I think that if we get in a situation where we've got a lead, we're going to be tough to beat."

Woodland struggled to generate offense in the final quarter, during which it shot 4 of 16 (25 percent) from the field. The Cardinals didn't attempt a free throw in the second half.

Despite the lack of presence in the paint, Woodland coach Logan Nutt said he had no qualms with the shots his team attempted from the outside.

Saxony Lutheran's Nathan Ruark passes the ball as Woodland's Michael McCormick, left, and Zach Beel defend during the third quarter of a Class 3 District 2 semifinal Tuesday, Feb. 23, 2016 in Scott City.Fred Lynch

"I thought when our guys shot their shots that they were makeable shots," Nutt said. "We know that the big guys are going to get all of the attention, and we kick it out and trust our guys to shoot it and make shots. For the majority of the game, we did, but they weren't falling late."

A fast start for Woodland culminated when Young's 3-pointer from the left key built a 16-5 lead at the 3:29 mark of the first quarter. The Cardinals hit their first six shots, finishing the opening period with a 20-7 advantage. They shot 8 of 11 (73 percent) from the floor in the first eight minutes.

The Cardinals cooled down in the second quarter and were plagued by six turnovers. Jalen Williams hit back-to-back 3-pointers in the second period, during which Saxony outscored Woodland 17-6. Karsten Short hit a triple from the left corner in the closing seconds to pull the Crusaders within two points, 26-24, heading into halftime.

Saxony put together the rally without its starting point guard in Rogers. He scored two points in the first quarter before picking up his fourth foul with 5:25 left in the half, forcing him to watch the rest of the half from the bench.

"I trusted them because with my teammates, it's more like, 'Next man up,'" Rogers said. "I think we're deeper than everyone gives us credit for. We have guys that can knock down shots."

Each team scored 19 points during a third quarter that saw six lead changes. Long knocked down a pair of buckets in the low post inside the final minute of the period, and Woodland carried a 45-43 lead into the final period.

Cardinals senior Zach Beel, a 6-foot-7 senior, finished with 13 points on 6-of-11 (55 percent) shooting. He had seven points in the third quarter but was held to only two points in the fourth.

Young added 13 points in the loss, while Michael McCormick contributed 11 points. The Cardinals shot 53 percent (10 of 19) from the floor in the first half but were 12 of 31 (39 percent) in the second half.

Beel led the team in scoring this season and is one of four graduating seniors, along with Long, Cole Schlief and Jackie Jenkins.

"I thought it was two very solid teams, a high level of competition," Nutt said. "I'm very proud of my guys. They show up every day with a great attitude and bring 100-percent effort, and I respect them a ton because I'm tough on them. No matter what, they go out there and give their best effort."

Corie Williams matched Rogers with 17 points, including seven in the final period. Jalen Williams pitched in 13 points, while Nathan Ruark added 10 points.

The Crusaders were 52 percent (12 of 23) from the floor in the second half, a much better outing than the first half (26 percent on 7-of-27 shooting).

"They came out hot, but the shots were contested. They were deep," Kevin Williams said. "If you're going to hit those shots all night, then you're going to beat us. They couldn't play any better in that first quarter, and we couldn't play any worse."

Woodland 20 6 19 9 -- 54

Saxony 7 17 19 23 -- 66

WOODLAND (54) -- Zach Beel 13, Bruester Young 13, Michael McCormick 11, Jake Long 8, Cole Schlief 6, Tyler Womack 3. FG 22-50, FT 2-4, F 20. (3-pointers: Young 3, McCormick 2, Schlief 1, Womack 1, Beel 1. Fouled out: McCormick.)

SAXONY LUTHERAN (66) -- William Rogers 17, Corie Williams 17, Jalen Williams 13, Nathan Ruark 10, Karsten Short 9. FG 19-50, FT 19-27, F 9. (3-pointers: J. Williams 3, Short 3, Rogers 1, Ruark 1, C. Williams 1. Fouled out: None.)