Sage Hill Boys’ Varsity Basketball popped treys all night to secure a 59-55 victory over Crean Lutheran High School on Jan. 20.

Senior Keith CJ McCord II led the way with five three-pointers and six early points in the first quarter.  His shooting streak seemed to rub off on the rest of the team as senior Krishan Tarsadia initiated a scoring run of his own.

Despite the duo’s offensive effort, the Lightning still faced some struggles in the first half.  Senior Tyler Hague found himself in early foul trouble while Crean continued to pressure Sage both offensively and defensively.

By the end of the half, Sage was up 20-19.  “It was a close game so we knew we couldn’t let up,” McCord said. “But we had the momentum going into the second half after [my] buzzer beater three.”

Even with the early momentum following McCord’s shot, Crean still wasn’t giving Sage an inch. A three and two jumpers from Tarsadia and another four points from junior Chance Kuehnel barely increased the team’s lead to two.

This battle of attrition dragged on until the final minute of the fourth quarter.  Both teams were scrambling to put up points when Sage was suddenly up by three.  The Saints tried to make a last ditch effort to tie up the game but an and-one layup from Hague essentially ended the game.

“We were still confident throughout the game even though [their record was 15-1].  We knew we had to do something to win league and I feel that helped inspire us,” McCord said.

Tarsadia ended up being the leading scorer with 19 points while McCord trailed closely behind with 17.

“They have been trash talking us for a while now on social media,” Tarsadia said.  “So we had to take it to their house.”

Overall, the game was a feel-good victory.  “I thought it was an inspiring game,” junior Alfonso Corona said.  “It set the bar higher for our future performances.”