Saxony Lutheran girls basketball team advances to Class 3 state championship game

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- Southern Boone girls basketball coach Tony Phillips had the perfect game plan for Thursday's Class 3 semifinal against Saxony Lutheran, and the execution was even better.

The Crusaders' top offensive weapon, senior Brianna Mueller, hadn't scored a single point when the two teams headed into the final quarter in a 30-30 deadlock.

But all the attention given to Mueller allowed another star to shine.

Senior Maddie Brune wrapped up her double-double with a team-high 14 points and 10 rebounds, and Saxony pulled away in the final period to secure a 53-40 win over the Eagles at Mizzou Arena.

"We told the girls in practice that if we're going to get beat, their best two players won't be the two that beat us," Phillips said. "Obviously when you get on top of ball screens like we were doing and force it out of her hand, at times, someone's going to be free, and there were times where we got there but were a step late.

Saxony's Maddie Brune (41) fights for a layup in the fourth period. Brune led Saxony with 14 points and 10 rebounds. Saxony beat Southern Boone 53 - 40 to advance to the championship game Saturday. Teams competed in the semifinals of the 2016 MSHSAA Basketball Championships at Mizzou Arena Thursday, March 10, 2016 in Columbia, Mo. (JUSTIN L. STEWART)

"... Hats off to Saxony Lutheran and their post players. That's what senior-heavy teams do. They find a way to win, and that's the difference."

Mueller's first points of the game couldn't have come at a better time.

She found a rare open look 24 seconds into the fourth quarter when a perfectly-executed ball screen led to a 3-pointer from the right corner, giving Saxony (28-2) a lead it never relinquished.

"She hadn't made anything prior to that, and I think she was a little tight," Saxony coach Sam Sides said about Mueller, who was held to only five points. "We need her to score. Â… I think it was a big, big plus, emotionally for her as well as the team, I think."

It also sparked a 10-2 run for the Crusaders, who increased their lead to 40-32 when Ashlynn Collier converted a layup and was fouled with 3 minutes, 16 seconds remaining.

Collier missed the free throw, and Southern Boone (29-2) answered with a 6-2 burst to trim its deficit to 42-38 with 2:18 to go.

Brune quickly hampered the Eagles' momentum with a layup inside that extended Saxony's lead to 44-38 with 1:57 left, and on the next possession, she came down with a defensive rebound and passed the ball to Mueller, who wiggled through the full-court press and drew a foul to get to the free-throw line.

Saxony's Ashlynn Collier (25) gathers a loose ball in the third period. Collier had 8 rebounds and nine points. Saxony beat Southern Boone 53 - 40 to advance to the championship game Saturday. Teams competed in the semifinals of the 2016 MSHSAA Basketball Championships at Mizzou Arena Thursday, March 10, 2016 in Columbia, Mo. (JUSTIN L. STEWART)

Mueller knocked down both free throws to extend the Crusaders' lead back to eight, and Saxony iced the game with 9-of-10 shooting at the charity stripe during the final 1:17.

"I feel relieved. That was a tough ball game," Sides said. "I watched them on video, and I thought we were prepared. They were better than they actually looked on video to me, and it was a tough ball game. We finally made some shots.

"[Brune and Collier] came up big time for us in the post. As a team effort, I thought our defense was pretty solid and was the difference in the ball game."

Brune and Collier accounted for 18 of the Crusaders' 34 rebounds and were a constant presence in the paint. Brune finished 6 of 8 (75 percent) from the field, while Collier tallied nine points and was 4 of 8 (50 percent).

"That's what we need from both of these girls is to rebound. That's kind of their job," Sides said. "They're workers, and they're strong. And they go and get that ball. I'll tell you what, Southern Boone's got some strong girls, too, and it was a battle for that ball a lot of times.

"It gets physical, and you've just got to keep battling and hope you get enough of them. I've got a couple good troopers here who can go and get that ball, and that's what we've got to have."

Saxony head coach Sam Sides watches the game during the second period. Saxony beat Southern Boone 53 - 40 to advance to the championship game Saturday. Teams competed in the semifinals of the 2016 MSHSAA Basketball Championships at Mizzou Arena Thursday, March 10, 2016 in Columbia, Mo. (JUSTIN L. STEWART)

The Eagles led by as many as three in the opening period, which ended with both teams knotted at 7-all.

The pace wasn't dictated until Skyler Beeson scored a runner in the lane with 4:53 remaining in the first half, capping a 6-2 run and giving the Eagles a 13-9 edge. Saxony responded with a 10-2 run to close the half and carried a 19-15 lead into the break.

"I think both teams were pumped up, a lot of hype and energy," Sides said about the first half. "It's kind of hard to make a bucket when you're squeezing everything real tight. We loosened up as the game got a little more into it and finally made some shots."

Both teams struggled from the floor in the first half -- Saxony shot 9 of 28 (32.1 percent) and Southern Boone was 6 of 20 (30 percent).

The Crusaders led by as many as five points in the third period when Grace Mirly converted a conventional three-point play at the 4:38 mark of the quarter.

Southern Boone junior Kylie Shoot, who finished with a game-high 16 points, concluded an 8-2 run by knocking down a 3-pointer from the top of the key, flipping the lead back in the Eagles' favor, 27-26, before Collier drove to the basket from the top of the key to give Saxony a one-point edge with 1:49 left in the third.

A 3-pointer by Beeson tied the game at 30-30 heading into the fourth.

The Crusaders shot 61.1 percent (11 of 18) in the second half while the Eagles were 10 of 26 (38.5 percent).

Led by Collier and Brune, Saxony outscored Southern Boone 15-7 on second-chance opportunities.

"We knew that they were amazing at defense," Brune said about the Eagles. "Our shooters weren't getting open, so we had to step it up. Â… We've had this dream to be state champions for the past four years. Ash and I, we knew that if we wanted to win this game that we had to take it to the next level."

Beeson notched 11 points for the Eagles, who finished 5 of 23 (21.7 percent) from 3-point range. The Crusaders allowed several open 3-point looks in the third period, but Sides said he was generally pleased with his team's defensive performance.

"A few times, we let people slip out. We knew what we were trying to accomplish there," Sides said. "We kept pushing them out farther, but they kept making shots out there farther. You've got to go that far out. And then we didn't get in the driving lanes too much. We got beat off the dribble in the first half too many times. We were working the other players too much probably. We need to focus more to help those two, stop the drive, make them other girls beat us, and we were probably giving too big of gaps to cover.

"We need to pack it in more. That's what we tried to do in the middle of the second quarter on. We tried to take away the driving lanes."

The Crusaders entered the game as the second-ranked team in Class 3, and they'll face third-ranked Strafford (29-3) for the state championship at 11 a.m. Saturday.

Strafford defeated ninth-ranked St. Pius X (Kansas City) 49-38 in the second semifinal.

"We knew that we were going to have this opportunity," Collier said. "We just didn't know the time that it was going to come, and now that it's here, we're ready to take it full-force.

"We're ready to win it all."

Saxony 7 12 11 23 -- 53

Southern Boone 7 8 15 10 -- 40

SAXONY LUTHERAN (54) -- Maddie Brune 14, Grace Mirly 9, Ashlynn Collier 9, Raegan Wieser 7, Tess Daniel 5, Brianna Mueller 5, Laurel Mueller 2, Masyn McWilliams 2. FG 20-46, FT 11-15, F 10. (3-pointers: B. Mueller 1, Wieser 1. Fouled out: None.)

SOUTHERN BOONE (40) -- Kylie Shoot 16, Skyler Beeson 11, Katie Price 5, TrEl'Shawn Smith 4, Megan Barnett 2, Faryn Griffin 2. FG 16-46, FT 3-7, F 17. (3-pointers: Shoot 3, Beeson 2. Fouled out: None.)