Saxony stays perfect with 56-34 victory over Greenville Bears

Strong interior play from center Tim Lorenz and forward Casey Petzoldt helped keep Saxony Lutheran's boys basketball team undefeated on Saturday.

The pair combined for 34 points as Saxony improved to 10-0 as it cruised to a 56-34 home victory over Greenville.

"We focused on trying to get the ball inside, and they did a good job of finishing," said coach John Daniel.

Coming off a 51-point win Thursday evening against Christ Our Savior, Saxony avoided a letdown against the upset-minded Bears. Lorenz finished with 18 points, and Petzoldt used his toughness inside to go for 16.

"They're a pretty physical team, but we played through it," said Petzoldt.

Saxony jumped out to a 13-4 lead, keyed by the play of Lorenz inside and several baskets in transition. Offensive rebounding also led to several second-chance points for the Crusaders.

"We did a good job of running the floor in the first half," said Petzoldt.

The Bears outscored Saxony 14-11 in the second quarter. A 3-pointer by Billy Smith got the Bears within six at halftime, 31-25.

But Greenville's shooting went cold in the second half. After a basket by the Bears' Eric Limanen cut the lead to 33-27, Greenville failed to score until midway through the last quarter.

The Crusaders started pulling away after halftime, outscoring the Bears 11-2 in the third quarter.

"Late in the third quarter we got patient on offense and got some easy baskets," said Saxony Coach John Daniel. Saxony scored the first eight points of the fourth quarter, pushing the lead to 50-27.

Playing in its first varsity season, Saxony is heading into a tough stretch of road games that will test its unbeaten status. They will face district opponents Leopold, Marquand and Delta.

"We never imagined we would be 10-0 at this point, but the next three games will tell a lot," said Daniel.

Sophomore guard Lauren Lueders added 11 for Saxony, connecting on three 3-pointers.

Leading the Bears were Jerry Rogers and Donny Helm, who both had eight points.

SAXONY 56, GREENVILLE 34Greenville 11 14 2 7 -- 34

Saxony 20 11 11 14 -- 56

GREENVILLE (34) -- Ryan Elder 2, Donny Helm 8, Eric Limanen 7, Mark Moon 1, Jerry Rogers 8, Billy Smith 6. FG 7, FT 5-12, F 15 (3-pointers: Helm 2, Smith 2, Limanen 1. Fouled out: none)

SAXONY (56) -- Peter Winningham 4, Lauren Lueders 11, Alex Jaunch 1, Trey Maevers 2, Casey Petzoldt 16, John Volkerding 4, Tim Lorenz 18. FG 18, FT 8-13, F 10 (3-pointers: Lueders 3, Winningham 1. Fouled out: none)

JV: Saxony 40, Greenville 20