The Helias Crusaders got out of their shooting funk Friday night. After back-to-back games of shooting less than 30 percent from the floor as a team, Helias made 51 percent of its shots against the Capital City Cavaliers. The Crusaders bounced back from their worst loss of the season with their most lopsided win of the year, defeating the Cavaliers 77-52 in Central Missouri Activities Conference play at Rackers Fieldhouse.
For the third consecutive year, excluding 2020 when the tournament was a four-team round robin, the Helias Crusaders found themselves in the Joe Machens Great 8 Classic third-place game.
And for the third consecutive time, the Crusaders walked away with a win.
Nate Brandt controlled the Fatima offense early, but the Comets spread the ball around as they pulled ahead. Fatima scored the first 11 points, and 18 of the first 21, in the fourth quarter to build a 58-46 win Thursday night against the Helias Crusaders in the semifinals of the Joe Machens Great 8 Classic at Fleming Fieldhouse.
It had been almost 29 minutes since Sam Lopez scored a point, but the Helias sophomore point guard stepped to the free-throw line with :31.8 on the clock, trying to put the Crusaders back in front. The first attempt nervously spun around the rim twice before falling through the net. The second attempt, to give Helias the lead, he swished it.