Evangel Christian couldn’t miss. The Eagles made 20-of-26 shots in the second half to pull away from the Helias Crusaders, building a 75-59 win Wednesday in the first round of the Joe Machens Great 8 Classic at Fleming Fieldhouse.
The Jefferson City Jays won the Great 8 Classic last year for the first time since 2005. This year, they will look to become the first repeat champion since Father Tolton did it in 2019-20.
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.