Not one Faith Christian boys basketball player is listed among the top 25 leaders in scoring. That doesn't seem to matter to coach Andrew Hasz, though, as balance certainly has been a key for the Eagles, ranked No. 1 in Class 3A.
Faith Christian, seeking to win its third consecutive state title, has rolled to a 19-0 record despite not having one player average more than 13 points a game. Hayden Loudenslager, a 6-foot-6 senior, is the team’s leading scorer, hitting a modest 12.6 points a game. Joel Hegarty (6-3) follows at 12.5 points They are the only players averaging double figures for the Eagles.
Faith Christian finished third in the 2007 state tournament with a 28-1 record, losing in the semifinals to Eaton. The Eagles won the next two, beating Colorado Springs Christian to post a 25-1 record in 2008. Last season they beat Peyton to finish 26-1. That's a glittering 98-3 mark for the Eagles seniors.
"This is definitely one of the more balanced teams that I've had, and it seems that on any one given night we have different leading scorers," Hasz said. "I really feel there are six or seven kids on the team this season that if they were on other teams without the talent we have, would be averaging 20 points for the season."
The highest individual game was posted by Derrick McCartney, who tallied 27 points in a victory against Denver Lutheran. McCartney averages only 5.7 points a game. Overall, Faith Christian’s leading scorer in each game tallied 20 points or more only five times this season.
"We have many who can contribute, that's for sure,” Hasz said. “But this is also a group of kids that play defense. This is just a group of very athletic young men."
Defensively, the Eagles have limited 13 of their 19 opponents to 50 points or less, and only Peak To Peak tallied more than 60 (75-63 Faith Christian win.) Six teams failed to score more than 30 against the Eagles tenacious defenders.
"Our balance is awesome," said Loudenslager, who also pulls down 7.6 rebounds a game. "Obviously one can't have a great night every time out. We've had several guys on the team who have come out and had some big nights and picked up the slack.
"Our key is depth," said Loudenslager, who is shooting 62 percent from the field. "We like to feel we have the two best teams in the state on our own team - our starting five and our second five. In practice that has really helped because all the guys are good players.”
Loudenslager has committed to Baylor to compete in track and field. He's considered a top high jumper and triple jumper.
Hegarty would like to play basketball in college and could stay statewide as the University of Denver and the Air Force Academy are on his list.
"Yes, our balance really defines how athletic of a team we are," said Hegarty, who also averages a team-leading 4.5 assists a game. "No one can come out and just shut down any one individual. I think this shows how much we put team first. We have a bigger goal in mind and that's to win state.”
Ignacio threatens record book
The Ignacio boys came within 10-points of setting a single-game scoring record Friday when the Bobcats defeated Nucla 128-45. They led 34-7 at the end of the first quarter, 70-14 at the half and 106-20 after three quarters. None of the starters played more than a few minutes into the third quarter. Alex Herrera led the onslaught with 25 points, 13 rebounds and seven blocked shots.
Boys tip-ins: Sophomore Jay Robinson scored five of his seven three-pointers in the third quarter to help lead Class 2A's top-ranked Colorado Springs School boys to a 92-68 victory against Calhan last Saturday. The win enabled the Kodiaks to wrap up the championship of the Black Forest League .. . Valor Christian's Niko Read also hit seven treys as the Eagles beat Falcon 65-42. Read is averaging 17.4 points a game . . It seems every week a new scoring leader has emerged among the 3A boys. This week the lead was taken by The Pinnacle's Trei Dysart, who upped his average to 22.9 points a game. His high game this season was 34 points in the Timberwolves 97-58 victory against Lake County.
Girls tip-ins: Speaking of three-pointers, Briggsdale's Larona Mondt tallied five to lead the Falcons to a 62-23 victory against Heritage Christian. She finished the game with 21 points. However, the next night Briggsdale lost to Pawnee 48-40 in a game that determined the winner of the Class A North Central League. It was the ninth consecutive victory for Pawnee and it snapped a 10-game Briggsdale winning streak .. . Colorado Springs Christian, ranked No. 1 in 3A, completed an unbeaten regular season with a 68-27 victory against the Colorado Springs School. Erika Heckman led a balanced scoring attack with 14 points for the Lions.
