Crean Lutheran players and coaches celebrate after capturing the CIF 2A title Wednesday night. Head coach Nate Klitzing holds the CIF championship plaque. (Photos courtesy John Luciano and Wendy Rueter, Crean Lutheran Shutterbugs)
Crean Lutheran High School’s boys basketball team lived up to the billing Wednesday night and captured the school’s second CIF title in the sport.
The top-seeded Saints fought off a fourth quarter comeback by Agoura to win the CIF 2A title game 68-58 in front of a standing-room-only, very vocal crowd in the Crean Lutheran gymnasium. Extra bleachers were brought in to the cozy gymnasium, which has a capacity of 999.
It’s the first CIF title for Crean Lutheran since 2018 when the squad won the 3AA championship game.
“We’re coming, Crean Lutheran has had a great legacy in basketball in a short span from the coaches prior to now, we’re just trying to continue to grow our program and just compete at the highest level and it starts with our foundation in Christ and we want to continue to put in the hard work and continue to get better each day,” said Coach Nate Klitzing, who earned his first CIF title as Saints coach.
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Photo Tim Burt, OC Sport Zone
Photo Tim Burt, OC Sports Zone
Photo Tim Burt, OC Sports Zone
Koat Keat scored 22 points, grabbed 16 rebounds and dished off six assists to lead the Saints, who will continue play in the Southern California Regionals next week. Keat was held to four points in the first half, but came on strong in the second half with 18 points, including 10 in the final stanza.
“All-around he does it all for us,” said Klitzing. “He can shot block and rebound but offensively he’s carried us in so many different ways whether it’s just making a play for somebody else. The kid is so unselfish and it’s the reason why we won.”
“It’s exciting for me, we’ve been thinking about it since the start of the season,” Keat added. “And I’m really excited, I thank God for the opportunity to help me win the championship and as a team we did great.”
Michael Birket added 18 points and four 3-pointers including one in the final minutes which helped seal the win.
“It feels great, all glory to God, I’m just happy we were put in this position but it couldn’t have been done without my teammates, without us coming together,” said Birket, a senior. “There were times when they went on some runs and it seemed like all things were caving in but we came together as a group. Our captains and our coach helped us band together and pull out the win.”
Jack Fairchild added 12 points for Crean Lutheran.
Agoura, which also advances to the regionals, was led by Jed Miller, who had 27 points.
Crean Lutheran (18-2) held a 33-29 halftime lead but took charge in the third quarter, outscoring Agoura 16-10. Crean Lutheran looked to have a comfortable 10-point lead going into the final quarter.
However Agoura (17-8) cut the lead to three points on a basket by Cameron Theus with 1:30 left. However, Keat made two free throws and Birket drilled a 3-pointer in the final 40 seconds to give the Saints a comfortable lead.
Then, the buzzer sounded and the Crean Lutheran students poured onto the court. The students were very much a part of the game with their high-energy cheers for the Saints. Agoura was also represented by a large contingent of fans.
There was definitely an electrifying atmosphere for the game from start to finish. The gymnasium was rocking as fans from both teams cheered for their teams.
It turned out to be an extra special birthday for Crean Lutheran assistant coach Austin Loeb, who was celebrating a birthday Wednesday.
—Story and video, Tim Burt, OC Sports Zone; timburt@ocsportszone.com
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