It was your classic Class 3A Metropolitan League battle, with plenty of defense and deliberate play.
It took a while for the perimeter and free-throw shooting to kick in, but two longtime rivals got the season’s league slate going in usual style.
Behind nine points in the fourth quarter by Jon VanderHoek, Denver Christian outlasted visiting Lutheran 60-52 on Friday night at the Dick Katte Athletic Center and knocked the Lights from the unbeaten ranks.
Denver Christian moved to 6-4 overall. Lutheran suffered its first loss in nine outings.
The Crusaders, who had taken some lumps against the upper echelon of 3A as well as teams in upper classes, put it away late and seemed relieved.
“It was good to finally beat a good team,” said VanderHoek, who scored 10 points.
He canned his final three shots and made 3-of-4 free throws over the game’s final eight minutes, and the Crusaders needed nearly every one — Lutheran, primarily comprised of players gaining experience on the fly, kept coming.
“Yeah, and it’s so important to get that first league win,” VanderHoek said.
Said Lutheran coach Ryan Bredow: “They just made more plays than we did. I give Denver Christian a lot of credit . . . they hit big 3s in the second half when they had to.”
Denver Christian’s biggest lead was nine points after the break as it shook off icy-cold 4-of-17 shooting in the second quarter. Still, the Crusaders led 21-19 at halftime, then two 3-pointers each by Erik Terpstra and John Lenderink helped make it 40-35.
The Crusaders’ better ball movement and sharper shooting kept the Lights chasing, as did their defense, which forced a number of turnovers that finally proved to be Lutheran’s undoing.
The Lights stayed within range into the final minute, although the Crusaders made 10-of-12 free throws in the fourth quarter.
“They made those 3s and built the quick lead,” Bredow said. “We couldn’t overcome it.”
Junior Trevor Williams, 6-foot-11, 248 pounds, led Lutheran with 14 points. The transfer from St. Mary’s in Colorado Springs added 15 rebounds, a couple of blocked shots and reasons why programs such as UCLA have been in for a look-see.
The Lights’ Andrew Duensing (nine) and Travis Shelton (eight) added support.
Lenderink paced seven other Crusaders in scoring with 17 points, In addition to VanderHoek, Beau Baker added 10 and handled more than his share of the load underneath against Williams and Shelton.
“It was a good, competitive Metro game,” Denver Christian icon Dick Katte said. “Both teams went to their strengths. (In the second quarter) we had good shots, but we rushed a little bit. I would think we’ll shoot better than that.”
Lutheran 10 9 16 17 — 52
Denver Christian 13 8 19 20 — 60
Lutheran — Hock 2 3-4 7, Giesler 0 1-2 1, Brockman 1 3-4 6, Williams 5 4-9 14, Duensing 4 0-0 9, Shelton 4 0-0 8, Langewisch 0 0-0 0, Rickey 2 0-0 5, Beach 1 0-0 2. Totals 19 11-19 52.
Denver Christian — Borger 1 0-0 2, T. Smith 1 0-0 3, Z. Smith 1 3-4 5, Schwab 0 0-0 0, Dacus 1 4-4 7, Lenderink 6 2-3 17, Terpstra 2 0-0 6, Baker 5 0-0 10, VanderHoek 3 4-6 10, C. Taylo 0 0-0 0. Totals 20 13-17 60.
3-point goals — Brockman, Duensing, Rickey; Lenderink 3, Terpstra, Dacus, T. Smith. Total fouls — Lutheran 17, Denver Christian 12 Fouled out — None. Technicals — None.
Neil H. Devlin: 303-854-1714 or ndevlin@denverpost.com
