Semoball

Expectations are lowered for perennial power Saxony, but not by much

Saxony Lutheran girl's basketball coach Sam Sides addresses his team during a break in play Wednesday in a game against Woodland in the First State Community Bank Holiday Classic at the Show Me Center in Cape Girardeau.
Tyler Graef ~ Southeast Missourian

The Saxony Lutheran girl’s basketball squad has owned the First State Community Bank Holiday Classic in recent years.

In the first 16 years of the event, the Crusaders didn’t win a single title.

In the last seven years, however, Saxony has won the tournament five times.

“I’ve had good players,” veteran Crusader coach Sam Sides said. “We’ve had a good run of kids who were interested in putting the time in and working at it.”

The Crusaders (5-2) took their first step towards a sixth championship Wednesday when they easily got past Woodland 63-32. However, as the No. 3 seed behind No. 2 seed Jackson (5-1) and top-seed Notre Dame (5-2), Saxony isn’t expected to win the title this year.

“I think it is very warranted where we are,” Sides said. “I couldn’t see us higher than that. That’s where we belong.”

The Crusaders advance to face Jackson tonight at 8:30 p.m. in one championship semifinal, while Notre Dame will battle unbeaten Oran (6-0) at 7 p.m. in the other championship semifinal.

St. Paul and Cape Girardeau Central will play in one consolation semifinal (4 p.m.), while Meadow Heights and Woodland (5:30 p.m.) play in the other.

Notre Dame already beat Saxony Lutheran (47-30) and Jackson (52-34) earlier this season, so Sides believes the Bulldogs have earned the designation as the tournament favorite, but that doesn’t mean he is relenting for the remainder of the tournament.

“I told (my team),” Sides said, “just because we got seeded there, doesn’t mean you have to finish there.”

Saxony graduated “three pretty good players” from a year ago and it is showing flashes of solid play, particularly with its defensive pressure.

Sides said his Crusader teams have “gotten smaller” over his eight-year tenure and so he is pressuring defensively to help generate some offense.

“When you aren’t making shots,” Sides explained, “you are going to have to find ways to score. Either get to the free-throw line or turning them over and getting some easy buckets on breakouts.”

The Crusaders did that essentially whenever they wanted Wednesday against the overpowered Cardinals. However, both Jackson and Notre Dame have the physical strength and size to combat Saxony’s pressure.

Saxony also scored on drives repeatedly against Woodland, but Sides knows that won’t happen as frequently against bigger, more athletic competition either.

“We’re going to have a hard time taking the ball to the bucket against a bigger team,” Sides said. “We’re going to have a hard time scoring, so we’re going to have to make shots.”

That is the area of play that most concerns Sides – not just for this tournament – but moving forward. His team has a lot of strengths offensively, but if it doesn’t shoot well from the perimeter, beating the top teams on Saxony’s schedule will prove difficult.

“I think we can play a little bit harder and smarter,” Sides said. “But the main thing is we have to make shots. We got a lot of shots tonight, but we couldn’t make anything. That has been our m.o. most of the year.”

The Crusaders hit four 3-pointers Wednesday, three of which came from sophomore shooter Emma Voelker, who finished with 13 points.

Senior guard Emma Brune also hit a long shot, as she finished with a game-high 26 points.

Junior Alice Hogendobler, who scored 10 points, joined those two in double figures.

“We’re not that bad of shooters,” Sides said. “They prove it to me once in a while when we make shots. We’re just not very consistent.”

The Crusaders led by just five points (15-10) following the first quarter but tore off on a 23-7 advantage in the second quarter and an overwhelming 21-8 margin in the third quarter.

Sarah Wilkinson paced the Cardinals with eight points.

SAXONY LUTHERAN 63, WOODLAND 32

Saxony Lutheran - 15 23 21 4 - 63

Woodland - 10 7 8 7 - 32

Saxony Lutheran (63) - Olivia Spanley 2, Emma Voelker 13, Maddox Murphy 6, McKenna Webb 4, Sydney Turner 2, Alice Hogendobler 10, Emma Bruce 26. FG 26, FTs 7-11, 3-pointers (Voelker 3, Bruce).

Woodland (32) - Chloe Goodwin 7, Riley Massa 2, Ally Whitener 2, Addie Johnson 5, Sarah Wilkinson 8, Emma Brown 2, Destinee Cowell 6. FG 14, FTs 2-13, 3-pointers (Johnson, Goodwin).

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