March 29, 2024

OC Sports Zone: Community First

PHOTOS: Crean Lutheran starts second half strong to seal Empire League victory over Tustin

Crean Lutheran Coach Nate Klitzing greets his players after a big run Tuesday night. (Photos: OC Sports Zone, Tim Burt).

Crean Lutheran’s boys basketball team used a 9-0 run at the start the third quarter to break the game open and went on to defeat Tustin 82-44 in an Empire League game Tuesday night at Tustin.

The Saints led 22-13 after one quarter but Tustin cut the lead to four points with five minutes remaining in the second quarter on two free throws by Ernest Love.

Crean Lutheran, the defending league champion, held a 39-25 lead at halftime and was in control in the second half.

It was the first game for the Saints (13-1, 2-0) since their opening league victory over Kennedy Tuesday, Jan. 4. Friday’s game with Cypress was postponed and will be made up Thursday at Cypress.

“We got off to a little slow start, we hadn’t played in a week and I think we needed a little jolt in our system to get us back moving,” said Crean Lutheran Coach Nate Klitzing. “Tustin plays really hard and they hit some shots early and were in the game.”

To see more photos, click on the first picture:

Klitzing was pleased with how his team responded defensively in the second half.

“We were gambling a lot defensively and that led to some of their easier looks,” Klitzing said. “Once we decided to guard our man and keep him in front of us, that was the difference in getting that lead.”

Crean Lutheran was led by Vyctorius Miller, who had 22 points, three 3-pointers and three rebounds. Koat Keat had 12 points, 13 rebounds and four assists and Darrell Morris had 12 points for the Saints.

Miller’s basket at the buzzer ending the second quarter helped set the stage for the second half.

“It was good, first of all we started moving the ball well, playing defense,” said Miller, a 6-5 sophomore.

He also credited the Saints second team for a strong effort.

“That’s what a team is supposed to do, we worked really hard and got that win,” he said.

Crean Lutheran, the defending CIF 2A champion, has lost just one game to Centennial 66-56 in the Damen Classic. The Saints are ranked second in Orange County behind Mater Dei by OC Varsity and are ranked fifth in the CIF Division 1 poll this week.

“I love them, they’re fun to coach, they’re competitive, they work hard and they are continuing to want to play the best of the best and be excited about that,” Klitzing said. “It’s a priviledge to be able to coach guys like this who not only are really good basketball players but they’re great men and that’s what makes my job fun.”

Tustin was led by Love, who had 10 points and Tobey Schmidt, who had nine points with three 3-pointers in the first quarter.

“I am proud of all of our players competitive spirit,” said Tustin Coach Ringo Bossenmeyer. “Crean (Lutheran) is obviously a Trinity League caliber team and we kept battling each possession despite the widening margin on the scoreboard in the second half.

“We will dust ourselves off, take the lessons learned and get ready for Friday’s game at Kennedy.”

The Tillers (15-6, 1-1) opened league play Friday defeating Valencia 60-25.

—Tim Burt, OC Sports Zone; timburt@ocsportszone.com