Arvada – The only way Denver Christian could be any deeper this season is if the Crusaders started quoting Shakespeare.
The Crusaders rotated 11 players, getting points from eight and made all 15 free throws in the fourth quarter to pull away from Class 3A Metropolitan League rival Faith Christian for a key 83-70 victory Tuesday night.
Center Brent Schuster led the second-ranked defending champions with 20 points, five rebounds and three blocked shots and junior substitute Joe Kurtz added nine points as the Crusaders’ bench outscored the Eagles 32-4.
“We’ve got so many great players on this team,” Kurtz said. “The bench is just so deep and you can really put in anybody and they do well.”
Denver Christian (10-1, 4-1 in league) trailed by six in the first quarter before using its size to take control of the game in the third quarter and keep the ninth-ranked Eagles (7-4, 3-2) at arm’s length down the stretch.
Schuster showed off a variety of moves while scoring 18 points in the second half. The 6-foot-9 senior was versatile around the paint, knocked down a 3-pointer and pulled up for a 13-foot jump shot with five minutes remaining to give the visitors a 61-52 lead.
Tristan and Cameron Matthies scored 14 and 13 points, respectively, and Sean Van Kooten added 12 as the Crusaders won their fourth straight.
“After losing to Kent (Denver), we really needed to come in here and get a big win,” Schuster said.
The Eagles got a game-high 28 points and six rebounds from 6-5 junior Graham Yantis, who was 10-of-11 from the free-throw line. Abram Ziemer added 14 points and Jobi Wall had 11 as Faith Christian lost its second straight.
The Eagles cut a 55-46 deficit early in the fourth quarter to 69-67 with 1:29 remaining on a pair of Yantis’ free throws, only to watch the Crusaders pull away.
Denver Christian 13 18 21 31 – 83
Faith Christian 16 11 19 24 – 70
Denver Christian – Smith 0 0-0 0, Van Kooten 3 6-6 12, Poland 1 2-2 4, C. Matthies 5 3-5 13, T. Matthies 3 6-6 14, Lenderink 2 0-0 4, Henry 1 5-6 7, Zimmerman 0 0-0 0, Schuster 9 1-1 20, Kurtz 4 1-1 9, Hamstra 0 0-0 0. Totals 28 24-27 83.
Faith Christian – J. Hegarty 2 0-0 5, Wall 5 0-0 11, Ziemer 6 2-2 14, Colson 2 2-6 8, McBeth 1 0-0 2, Yantis 9 10-11 28, Cooney 1 0-0 2. Totals 26 14-19 70.
3-point goals – T. Matthies 2, Schuster; Colson 2, J. Hegarty, Wall. Total fouls – Denver Christian 17, Faith Christian 20. Fouled out – None. Technicals – None.
