Saxony Lutheran boys basketball comes up short against Whitfield in Class 3 quarterfinal

William Rogers is comforted after a game between Saxony Lutheran and Whitfield Saturday March 4, 2017 in Farmington. Whitfield won 66-47.

Andrew J. Whitaker

FARMINGTON, Mo. -- With less than two minutes left in the third quarter of a Class 3 quarterfinal, the Saxony Lutheran boys basketball team had cut the deficit to 10, the closest it had been since midway through the second.

The Crusaders' faithful rose to their feet as Whitfield took the ball to the other end of the court.

Then Torrence Watson had a response. The Warriors' star drove toward the basket and finished through contact. He hit the ensuing free throw, and suddenly the lead was back to 13, as Whitfield cruised the rest of the way to a 66-47 win over Saxony on Saturday at the Farmington Civic Center.

The Warriors took control of the game in the second quarter by outscoring the Crusaders 26-8 and led by double digits for the entire second half. Each time the Crusaders made a run, the Warriors had an answer, and it was usually Watson. The junior, who has offers from around 10 Division I programs, finished with a game-high 29 points.

Corie Williams of Saxony Lutheran reaches for the ball during a game between Saxony Lutheran and Whitfield Saturday March 4, 2017 in Farmington. Whitfield won 66-47.

Andrew J. Whitaker

William Rogers led the Crusaders with 17 points, but in the end, it wasn't enough. Rogers and three other Saxony seniors ended one game short of the final four.

"They're good," Crusaders coach Kevin Williams said about Whitfield. "They're a good basketball team. They're hard to pressure. ... We didn't shoot the ball great in the first half, except for the first part of the game -- that was OK. But then we struggled a little bit and missed a bunch of chippies, man. I think our guys got to the rim and looked up and said, 'I'm wide open,' and just expected it to be a little bit more difficult than that. We didn't finish those plays.

"But they're real well-coached, and they've got one of the best players, if not the best player, in the state of Missouri."

Saxony (26-4) got off to a quick start, packing it on defense with a 2-3 zone. With 2 minutes, 15 seconds remaining in the first period, Warriors coach Mike Potsou called a timeout with the Crusaders leading 10-4. Seconds later, that lead expanded to 13-4 when Rogers nailed a 3-pointer.

Then Whitfield (21-9) kicked into high gear, going on a 19-0 run that spanned the end of the first quarter and the first four-plus minutes of the second frame. The run was sparked by steals and transition points for the Warriors. When the Crusaders did get the ball past half court against the Warriors' press, they couldn't get a shot to fall.

Saxony didn't score a point in the second until a basket from Karsten Short at the 3:30 mark. By that point, a nine-point advantage had turned into a eight-point deficit, as the Crusaders trailed 23-15.

Whitfield led for the rest of the game.

"We thought that was an advantage for us," Potsou said of the Warriors' pressure defense. "We just executed exactly how we wanted. We executed exactly how we went through things the last two days at practice, and we're going back to the final four."

While Saxony cut the Warriors' advantage to five points later in the second, going into the break, Whitfield's lead was 37-21 after sophomore Max Holton banked in a jump shot at the buzzer. That 18-point differential in the second quarter, as Whitfield scored 26 points to Saxony's eight nearly mirrored the 19-point margin of victory.

In the second half, Saxony never got within single digits -- 10 points was the closet the team came. Up big, the Warriors slowed down the offense and forced the Crusaders to come out of their compact defensive zone. Watson often exploited those open lanes, either scoring at the rim or drawing a foul. He had 17 of the Warrior's 29 second-half points.

"When they spread the floor like that, even when you put two on them and make them give up the ball, they've got guys who can make plays," Williams said. "It's very hard to guard against that. We tried to trap a little bit. We tried to go man. We tried to deny. Their guards are just good enough to be able to control that, keep the ball moving, kind of play keepaway.

"They stopped looking to score about halfway through the third quarter, and that's tough, man. We were a little gassed."

Forward Luther Taylor added 12 points and eight rebounds for Whitfield, and 5-foot-8 guard Amechi Ramsey chipped in 11 points, five steals and three assists.

William Rogers of Saxony Lutheran dribbles the ball during game between Saxony Lutheran and Whitfield Saturday March 4, 2017 in Farmington. Whitfield won 66-47.

Andrew J. Whitaker

It was Watson who provided the bulk of the scoring, though. After a four-point first quarter, he scored eight or more in each of the final three quarters. The 6-5 guard finished 12 of 18 from the field and 11 of 13 from the free-throw line. He also had eight rebounds, and whenever the Warriors needed a basket, he usually provided one.

"Look at the some of the points that he made," Williams said. "He threw one in from half-court, bank-shot 3. He's twisting and turning every different direction, throwing up shots in the paint, and they're going down. He's getting free throws. I mean, how do you stop that?

"I think we made it tough for him. He had to work for what he got. But he's got 20, 30, 40 points against a bunch of good teams this year, so I don't think that's a fluke. Our problem was we let a little bit of the others get some things they maybe shouldn't have."

Saxony struggled to get out in transition in the second half against the slow-paced Whitfield offense. Along with Rogers, Corie Williams had eight points. Jalen Williams added seven points and six rebounds. As a team, the Crusaders were 36.2 percent from the field, including 32 percent from 3 (8 of 32), and 5 of 13 from the free-throw line.

By contrast, the Warriors shot 56.8 percent (21 of 37) from the floor and were 22 of 26 at the charity stripe.

The third quarter ended with a controversial 3-pointer by Watson to push the lead to 49-34 heading into the final period. With 0.6 seconds on the clock, Watson caught the ball, dribbled and threw up a heave that fell through the net. On the Crusaders' bench, Williams contended Watson couldn't have gotten the shot off in time. Despite his protests, the shot stood.

That 15-point deficit proved too much to overcome in the final quarter.

With time ticking down and the score out of reach, the Crusaders' second-year coach took out his seniors to a standing ovation. First, Corie Williams fouled out. Then Rogers suffered the same fate. Finally, Nathan Ruark and Keevin Dyke were substituted, as the Crusaders' fans stood and cheered.

Saxony Lutheran Head Coach Kevin Williams cheers during game between Saxony Lutheran and Whitfield Saturday March 4, 2017 in Farmington. Whitfield won 66-47.

Andrew J. Whitaker

While Saxony fell one game short of a berth in the state semifinals, in the last two seasons the program has advanced to a district final and made a quarterfinal appearance, compiling a 51-9 record. This year the Crusaders beat traditional powerhouse Charleston in the sectional round.

"It's been an incredible run for these kids for the last two years," Williams said. "I think they finished something like 51-9. What do you say? No one expected them to achieve at that level, but they did. I told them for the guys that are graduating and moving forward some of them have some really bright futures ahead of them, but they've set the bar really, really high. And the expectation for Saxony isn't to take a step back. It's to maintain what these kids have done, and that's going to be tough. But that's the expectation.

"So anyone that's coming back that has Saxony on their jersey better be ready to work and understand you've set a standard that very few people can get to, and that's what we're going to try to reach."

WHITFIELD (66) -- Luther Taylor 12, Amechi Ramsey 11, Cyrus Alexander 8, Torrence Watson 29, Max Holton 2, Ahmad Mccray 4. FG 21. FT 22-26. F 18. (3-pointers: Watson 2. Fouled out: None.)

SAXONY LUTHERAN (47) -- William Rogers 17, Nathan Ruark 4, Karsten Short 3, Corie Williams 8, Jane Williams 7, Trae Robinson 7. FG 17. FT 5-13. F 21. (3-pointers: Rogers 3, C. Williams 2, Short, J. Williams, Robinson. Fouled out: Rogers, C. Williams, J. Williams.)