Saxony Lutheran girls basketball team opens season with win over Sikeston

SIKESTON, Mo. -- When the Saxony Lutheran girls basketball team lost starting guard Raegan Wieser to a torn ACL before the start of the volleyball season, there already were questions about how the team was going to make up for the senior standout's production.

Wieser averaged 14.9 points per game in the Crusaders' 29-1 campaign a year ago, and coach Sam Sides is unsure if she'll be able to return at all this season, leaving the door open for someone else to fill that role.

In steps Grace Mirly, who isn't necessarily busting onto the scene, but the 5-foot-7 senior showed she's more than capable of taking on an increased role by racking up a game-high 22 points in Saxony's 53-43, season-opening win over Sikeston on Tuesday at the Sikeston Field House.

Mirly understands she's going to be asked to do more but said it's going to take a complete team effort to account for Wieser's absence.

"It's not just one player," Mirly said. "It's literally the whole team because I couldn't do it on my own. Nobody can do it on their own, and that's what the team's done during practice in the offseason. We've really done a good job of working together."

Part of that adjustment has been focused on making an effort to get Mirly more involved on offense, according to Sides.

"She asked me earlier, 'What do I have to do?' I said, 'You're going to have to do more.' She can do about everything," Sides said. "She's not very tall, but she can handle the ball. And she can score. She's going to have to score more for us, and I think she tried to do that a little bit more than she normally does."

Saxony Lutheran's Brianna Mueller looks to pass against Sikeston's Kiera Steward during the first quarter Monday, Nov. 24, 2015 in Sikeston, Missouri. (Fred Lynch)

Saxony (1-0) fell behind early and trailed by as many as four points in the opening quarter before a 3-pointer from the left corner gave the Crusaders a 9-8 lead with less than a minute remaining in the quarter. A bucket by Tyeshia Mitchell regained the lead for Sikeston (0-1) on the next possession, and the Bulldogs led 10-9 at the end of the quarter.

Saxony opened the second quarter with an 8-0 run, one that began and ended with a pair of treys from Brianna Mueller, but the Bulldogs answered with an 8-1 spurt that tied the game at 18-all late in the first half. Mirly knocked down four free throws during a 6-2 run for the Crusaders in the final two minutes of the half, and Saxony led 24-20 at the break.

The Crusaders earned many of their points from the charity stripe in the first half, during which Mirly was 9-of-10 shooting from the free-throw line as Sikeston racked up 14 team fouls. They finished 24 of 37 (65 percent) from the line.

Saxony turned the ball over 13 times in the first half, and Sides said the team struggled against the Bulldogs' full-court pressure.

"They don't let you relax. They're on you," Sides said. "He plays about 10 to 12 girls, and they put pressure on you all the time. They don't let up, so you just can't relax against them."

Saxony Lutheran's Ashlyn Collier looks to shoot against Sikeston's Alana Basham, left, during the first quarter Monday, Nov. 24, 2015 in Sikeston, Missouri. (Fred Lynch)

Back-to-back 3-pointers from Kiera Steward gave Sikeston a 26-24 lead at the 6:09 mark of the third quarter, but Mirly answered with a free throw and a bucket that gave the Crusaders the lead for good with 4:23 left in the period. A putback by Mueller extended Saxony's lead to 33-27 at the 2:56 mark of the quarter, and the Crusaders carried a 39-33 lead into the final period.

Mueller tallied 20 points on 7-of-11 (64 percent) shooting. Saxony finished 13 of 41 (32 percent) from the floor as a team.

"I thought we kept her away for the majority of the game," Sikeston coach Matt Schonhoff said about Mueller. "We took away her 3s. ... Against a top two or three team in the state in Class 3, I thought that we did really, really well."

The Bulldogs cut their deficit to 43-40 when Miranda Harrison knocked down a trey from the left corner with 3:01 left in the game, but a pair of buckets from Mueller and two free throws by Mirly put the game out of reach at 49-40 with a little more than a minute remaining.

Saxony Lutheran coach Sam Sides signals to his team during the third quarter of the game with Sikeston Monday, Nov. 24, 2015 in Sikeston, Missouri. (Fred Lynch)

Despite cramping up inside the final two minutes and being forced to watch the rest of the game from the bench, Mitchell finished with a team-high 14 points for Sikeston. Erica Peet added 11 points for the Bulldogs, who shot 17 of 59 (29 percent) from the field.

"I thought offensively we got stagnant a couple times, but then on the other situations, we did a really good job of attacking," Schonhoff said. "... We had our chances, it just didn't go our way there in the last two minutes."

Saxony had only six turnovers in the second half, but Sides said he emphasized ball security to his team after the game.

"It was a typical first game, I thought," Sides said. "We had the jitters and stuff. We're playing a different lineup. I've got a couple girls hurt, but the ones that played, I thought, did a good job. They battled through that, made a few mistakes, but normal first-game stuff.

"... It's a good win against a good team, coming down here on the road in the first game, so I'm happy with that."

Saxony Lutheran 9 15 15 14 -- 53

Sikeston 10 10 13 10 -- 43

SAXONY (53) -- Grace Mirly 22, Brianna Mueller 20, Ali Galemmo 6, Ashlynn Collier 5. FG 13-41, FT 24-37, F 13. (3-pointers: Mueller 2, Mirly 1. Fouled out: none.)

SIKESTON (43) -- Tyeshia Mitchell 14, Erica Peet 11, Kiera Steward 9, Miranda Harrison 5, Tyra Bonner 2, Larysa McClellon 2. FG 17-59, FT 5-8, F 28. (3-pointers: Steward 3, Harrison 1. Fouled out: none.)

JV -- Saxony Lutheran won 39-31