Saxony Lutheran wins C3D2 title in first year back

It was like they never left.

In their first year since leaving Class 3 District 2 in 2020, the Saxony Lutheran Crusaders are once again champions after defeating the Scott City Rams 60-53 on Friday, Feb. 23, in Bloomfield, Mo.

Saxony Lutheran (18-8) hasn’t won a district title since leaving C3D2 for Class 4 in 2020. Prior to that, they enjoyed a run of eight straight championships, which included a fourth-place state finish in 2014 and a state runner-up in 2016. The Crusaders reached the final round of the tournament by defeating Woodland in the semifinals, who won three straight district titles in Saxony’s absence.

Saxony senior Evie Caruso led with 19 points while both Rebecca Johnson and Abigail Haley scored 14 points. The Crusaders led by merely a point after the third quarter but put the game away with 22 points in the final period.

“Our team is more of a family,” Johnson said. “We don’t play with individual players.”

The way the Crusaders won was emblematic of their newest mascot, Ludacris the Lion. Realizing that they were losing their edge at the tail end of the regular season, the team adopted the stuffed lion to sit beside their bench as a reminder to attack like predators.

“It’s a reminder to stay predators and not be prey,” Johnson said. “At the end of our season, we were lacking that a lot and needed to keep in mind that as a team if we play together then we win a lot of games.”

The Crusaders found themselves trailing 19-12 in the first quarter. Scott City shot all but one of their free throws in the opening period, going 9-of-12.

Lilyan Landis led the Rams with 24 points and made a buzzer-beater in both the first and second quarters. While the first one extended their lead, the second was to keep the halftime score within a basket at 27-25.

The Rams leaned on Landis in the second half, as the junior for six of their 12 third-quarter points and nine of their 16 points in the fourth quarter.

Saxony Lutheran will take on Twin Rivers, the C3D1 champion, in the sectional round of the Class 3 State Tournament on Monday, Feb. 26. The seniors will be experiencing this level of basketball for the first time in the final year of high school.

“It’s very nerve-racking,” Caruso said, “and exciting.”

Scott City (18-9) says goodbye to three seniors. Gracie Karrenbrock scored nine points for the Rams, followed by eight from Logan Schiwitz and six from Mackenzie Lawless.

__Delta dominates in C1D1 win__

The Delta Lady Cats defeated the Oak Ridge Blue Jays 97-27 to win the Class 1 District 1 championship on Friday, Feb. 23 at Scott County Central High School in Sikeston, Mo.

Jade Berry led the Lady Cats with 26 points, followed by 19 from Mya Gillespie and 16 from both Addison Nichols and Presley Holweg.

The Lady Cats had the game well at hand when they went to halftime leading 55-17. They remained relentless in the third quarter, outscoring the Blue Jays 33-4.

“We ran the floor really well and we shot well,” Gillespie said.

It is Delta’s fifth straight district championship. The Lady Cats’ 27 wins are the most since their state runner-up season in 2022. They dominated the FSCB Holiday Classic and Scott-Miss Conference Tournament and have scored over 100 points in seven games this season. After defeating the hosting Bravettes 108-31 on Feb. 21, there seems to be no stopping Delta.

Delta (27-1) will take on Chadwick, the C1D2 champion, in the sectional round of the Class 1 State Tournament on Monday, Feb. 26.

Oak Ridge’s season ends with the most wins in the five-year history of the program.

“For this team to go from a 10-15 record last year to a 16-12 season and making it to the district championship game has been an absolutely amazing experience,” Oak Ridge head coach Julie Ward said. “I am always proud of my girls and their dedication to this team. I know I have said it before, but we hit all our team goals this year. I am proud to be their coach and very proud of this season.”