By Colin Altevogt
Contributing Writer
FORT WAYNE â??? â??Under-rated!!! Under-rated!!!â?
Fans of Fort Wayne Luers didnâ??t reverse the classic late-game chant as the Class 3A No. 16 Knights won their third straight Summit Athletic Conference Tournament, but they very well could have. Luers, the conferenceâ??s leader in the regular-season standings, received no love in the seeding, being placed in the fifth spot.
No respect? No problem.
The young Knight team whose starting lineup boasts two freshmen and two sophomores swept through the tournament, defeating 3A No. 10 Fort Wayne Concordia Lutheran, 46-42, in a quarterfinal matchup then easily disposing of top-seeded Fort Wayne South, 59-51. In the final, Luers used a stingy defense to down Fort Wayne Dwenger, 40-30.
With both teams worn from two previous games, including semi-finals the morning of the championship, scoring was at a minimum in this battle of Fort Wayneâ??s Catholic high schools. The first field goal did not come until the 5:24 mark of the first quarter when Luers point guard MarKee Martin hit a left-handed shot in the lane.
Dwenger led 9-6 after a slow first quarter. Saints forward Erin Jacobson, who led the game with 11 points, had seven of those nine.
In the midst of an offensive lag, the Luers defense hung tough. The Knights held their opponent nearly eight minutes without a field goal until Mallorie Schon hit an off balance shot in the lane with 1:58 left in the first half.
Martin scored on a fast break, putting up a lay-up that rattled around the rim before dropping in at the horn, to end the first half. Luers led 20-16 at the break.
The third quarter was even more of a defensive struggle. Playing on tired legs, jump shots fell off even for Luersâ?? sharpshooter Martin. Both teams combined for only 12 points in the third period.
The Saints twice tied the game, but freshman Kelsey Wyss scored a couple times in the last two minutes of the quarter, preserving the Knights four point lead.
Wyssâ?? presence off the bench was huge for Luers. Her first points came when she grabbed the board off her own missed three and hit a mid-range jumper, ending a three minute drought for the Knights in the third quarter.
Wyss left the game at the beginning of the fourth quarter with an apparent hip injury, but reentered minutes later with a slight limp. Playing with a noticeable grimace, the freshman role player came in when asked.
With time winding down and her team needing one more bucket to ice the game, Wyss nailed a big shot to increase the Luers lead to seven points with under a minute remaining.
Bench production was huge for the Knights all tourney. Junior Natalie Henry was key in spelling Martin in the semi-final and Lavirna Dawson, the teamâ??s lone senior, led Luers with eight points in the championship. Sarah Freiburger also played big minutes off the bench for Luers.
The tournament victory was the Knights third straight. Games in this just-for-fun tournament have no bearing in the SAC regular season standings, but Luers (3-0 in conference play) appears to be in the driverâ??s seat to defend its regular season crown of last year.
Luers and Dwenger meet in a rematch Jan. 6 at Dwenger.
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