Leading by 23 points at the break, the visiting C boys fought off a Loyola surge to start the second half and held on for a 57-34 win on Friday.
After the Crusaders opened the game with an inside basket, Miles Tomaszewski responded with a three, and Garrett Heldberg scored from inside.
Loyola added the next two baskets, but after Heldberg scored again from inside and made the and-one for the start of a 16-point Clipper run.
Carsyn Ryg added a bucket from near the rim, Wyatt Krenik scored twice, Kiptyn Coon put in basket, and Tomaszewski made a three and a layup for a 21-8 Clipper lead.
With two more Tomaszewski three, a Heldberg three, a Zander Linder jump shot for a bucket and to Coon baskets to close the half, the Clippers led 39-16 at the break.
With Heldberg not on the floor in the second half, the Crusaders, with their big clutching offensive boards, scored the first 10 points of the second half, but continuing with a hot hand from outside, Tomaszewski plopped in a pair of threes to slow down the uprising.
Later, Ryg and Austin Pierce made threes, and, after two-point baskets from Tomaszewski and Linder, Aiden Giese punctuated the win with a basket from under the rim.
With 22 points, Tomaszewski led the effort. Heldberg had 11 points in one half played. Coon had six points, all in the first half. Ryg had five points, Krenik and Linder each added four points, Pierce had three points, and Giese chipped in two points.
The Clippers put in nine threes and two of four foul shots. The Crusaders made no threes and missed both of their two free throws.
The C boys were leading host Le Sueur-Henderson early on Saturday when power went off at the school, and all the Clipper teams packed up for the day. They will host Nicollet tonight (Tuesday) at 4:30.
Above: Wyatt Krenik guides the ball toward the lane.
