The Helias Crusaders did their best to slow down the speed of the Jefferson City Jays. But eventually, the Jays got running. Top-seeded Jefferson City beat fourth-seeded Helias 52-38 in the semifinals of the Class 5 District 5 Tournament on Friday at Capital City High School. The win gives the Jays revenge for the Crusaders ending their season last year in the Class 5 District 7 championship game.
The Helias Crusaders hit their first four shots, and five of their first six, and never looked back. The fourth-seeded Crusaders took the lead they would not give up with 6:20 left in the first quarter and built to a 64-49 win Wednesday against the fifth-seeded Union Wildcats in the first round of the Class 5 District 5 Tournament at Capital City High School.
For three quarters, the Helias Crusaders looked ready to upset the Class 5 No. 7 Hogan Prep Rams. Then came the fourth quarter. Helias entered the fourth quarter with a 46-35 advantage, then Jacob Rembecki hit a 3 from the right wing off an Austin Weaver assist to give the Crusaders their biggest lead of the game at 49-35 with 7:42 left to play. Then the Rams began charging. Hogan Prep came all the way back in the fourth quarter to take a 62-59 win Saturday in the final game of the Central Bank Shootout at Rackers Fieldhouse.
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.