There was no doubt, no hesitation. The Helias Crusaders were going for 2. “We knew that’s what we were going to do when we got the ball back at the end,” Helias coach Chris Hentges said Friday night after the Crusaders’ furious second half comeback came up just short in a 30-29 loss to the Cardinal Ritter Lions in a battle of Class 5 state-ranked teams.
The Jefferson City Jays will take the court as one of the last four teams still standing in Class 5 at 4 p.m. today against the Ladue Rams at Hammons Student Center on Missouri State’s campus in Springfield.
While it is the first Final Four appearance since 2004 for the Jays, they are nowhere near satisfied with just making it there.