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.
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.
The Helias Crusaders are anticipating every Central Missouri Activities Conference game to be a tough battle this season.
They hope every game plays out like Thursday night’s conference opener.