Crean Lutheran ends Cypress’ long league winning streak and takes over undisputed first place

Koat Keat, a 6-9 junior, had a big all-around game for Crean Lutheran Friday night. (Photos Tom Connolly, For OC Sports Zone)

 All great winning streaks eventually come to an end and on Friday evening the Crean Lutheran boys basketball team snapped its Empire League rival Cypress’ long winning streak 

Forward Koat Keat and guard Jack Fairchild each scored 18 points to lead the Saints to a 75-57 victory over the Centurions at Cypress High. The Saints win ended the Centurions 33-game Empire League regular season winning streak. Cypress, which has won three consecutive league championships, hadn’t lost an Empire League regular season game since Feb. 9, 2017 against Tustin. 

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Jack Fairchild was one of Crean Lutheran's top players Friday.

Crean Lutheran Coach Nate Klitzing looks on during Friday's game.

Crean Lutheran (6-1, 4-0) took over sole possession of first place in the league remaining unbeaten in league play. The Centurions suffered their first league defeat and fell to 5-4 and 3-1. The teams meet again in the second round on Monday, May 17 at Crean Lutheran.

“It’s extra nice to come in here and win; it’s gets the monkey off our back,” said Saints Coach Nate Klitzing. “We were aware of their winning streak and we know you have to go through Cypress to win league. They have been dominant in this league for a number of years. I thought we played good in transition offense, got out and ran and dominated the boards.”

After building a 19-14 lead after the first period, Crean Lutheran’s offense shifted into high gear and outscored the Centurions 25-7 in the second period to take a 44-21 halftime lead.

Fairchild and Keat combined to score 14 points in the quarter as the Saints surged. Crean Lutheran began the quarter on an 11-2 run. James Agany’s two free throws gave the Saints a 30-16 lead at the 5:29 of the period. 

Keat, Mike Birket and Alex Davis kept the defensive pressure on Cypress and didn’t allow Cypress to score on back-to-back possessions in the quarter. The Saints continued to move the ball around effectively and dominated the glass. Trevor Do’s basket with 33 seconds left in the quarter completed a Crean Lutheran 14-5 run as the Saints took a comfortable double-digit lead into the locker room at halftime.

“We pushed hard and had good energy as a team,” said Keat, who also had 12 rebounds, four assists and combined with Agany to block eight shots. “Our game plan was to block up the middle and we did that tonight.”

The Saints defense was relentless throughout the game as they forced 15 turnovers.

Crean Lutheran’s offense got thrown off balance a bit in the third quarter as the Centurions, after trailing by as many as 27 points, rallied and mounted a comeback, cutting the lead to 55-43, following a 3-pointer by Jonas Hanson with 1:08 left in the quarter. However, a late basket by Fairchild and a 3-pointer by Parker Tuttle, propelled the Saints to 60-43 lead after three periods.

The Centurions started the final quarter on a 6-0 run and cut the lead to 60-49 with 6:17 to play but then their shooting went cold and Crean Lutheran’s front line took over at both ends of the floor to close out the win. 

“Our plan was to play fast, control the tempo, get back on defense and we were locked in,” said Fairchild. “I think this was our best game of the season so far. It means a lot to come in here and beat the league champions.”     

Cypress guard Kody Papke led all scorers with 28 points. Do scored 10 points, Tuttle had six assists, Birket had seven rebounds and Agany added five boards for the Saints, who won their fourth game in a row.    

“This loss is on me,” said Cypress Coach Derek Mitchell. “We played small and I waited too long to make the proper match-ups change. Give Crean Lutheran them credit, Nate does a great job with his team. They came down court and got the ball into their bigs.”

—-Tom Connolly, For OC Sports Zone