The Exira-EHK Spartans boys basketball team fell to the Coon Rapids-Bayard Crusaders 72-46 on Tuesday night. Coming in as underdogs, the Spartans were neck-in-neck with the Crusaders for a large portion of the first half. However, Coon Rapids-Bayard eventually took over and never looked back on the way to their fifteenth win of the season.

The opening minutes of the first quarter were back and forth and showcased both teams’ style of play. Coon Rapids-Bayard played most of the game in the paint, while the Spartans were deadly from beyond the arc. Whenever the Crusaders seemed poised to pull away, Exira-EHK knocked down threes to stay within striking distance. The Spartans made 13 three-pointers throughout the game with seven coming in the first half. Josh Nelson knocked down three, while Austin Rasmussen hit two. However, the pace at which the Spartans knocked down three-pointers in the first quarter was unsustainable. While Exira-EHK struggled to score in the paint, Cal Haydon dominated the paint for the Crusaders. Haydon dropped nine field goals and a three-pointer on his way to 25 first half points. Despite being a two-point game at the end of the first quarter, the Crusdaers went on a 16-4 run to close out the half to open up a 43-23 lead.

Little changed in the second half, but the Spartans never quit. Nelson hit two more threes to lead the Spartans in scoring with 20 points. On the other side, Ty Hardon and Parker Hays contributed for the Crusaders. Hardon knocked down five second half field goals on his way to 14 points. Hays was the third Crusader to reach double-digits finishing with 15. Head Coach Tony Santistaben liked his team’s effort, especially from beyond the arc, but knew that inside scoring was an issue in the matchup.

Inside defense was also a problem at times for Exira-EHK and Santistaben says it will continue to be a point of emphasis.

As the season winds down Santistaben wants his team to continue to fight.

Exira-EHK will be back in action on Thursday when they travel to Panorama.