Saxony Lutheran boys basketball suffers first loss, falls to Kennett in Bloomfield semis

BLOOMFIELD, Mo. -- For the seventh straight year the Kennett Indians find themselves in the Bloomfield Christmas Tournament championship game thanks to a 54-47 win over Saxony Lutheran Wednesday in the semifinals.

The Crusaders were within a possession of the Indians in the closing seconds of the third, but a basket from Kennett's Patrick Maddox ignited a 10-4 run that left the Indians firmly in control.

An Edward Wilson layup capped the run and gave the Indians a nine-point advantage, 46-37, with 3:37 to play.

Capitalizing on some free throws and a key put-back from Jalen Williams, Saxony fought back within a possession at 47-43 with 1:09 remaining.

A key rebound by the Indians soon led to a put-back after and Kennett finished 5 of 7 from the free throw line in the final minute to keep the Crusaders from mounting a comeback.

William Rogers led Saxony with 15 points and Jalen Williams added 12 points to the Crusaders cause.

Edward Wilson and Fred Gooden each had 14 points for Kennett and Rantrell Caruthers contributed 12 points.

Saxony 5 12 16 14 -- 47

Kennett 9 12 17 16 -- 54

SAXONY (47) -- Tyler Swanks 1, William Rogers 15, Nathan Ruark 6, Graeson Meystedt 9, Corie Williams 4, Jalen Williams 12. FG 17, FT 9-17, F 18. (3-pointers: Rogers 1, Meystedt 1, Jalen Williams 2. Fouled out: Ruark.)

KENNETT (54) -- Rantrell Caruthers 12, Carlos Turner 5, Patrick Maddox 6, Fred Gooden 14, Ty'reik Thomas 1, Edward Wilson 14, Jad Kenny 2. FG 19, FT 12-19, F 22. (3-pointers: Turner 1, Gooden 1, Wilson 2. Fouled out: None.)