MANKATO — The Mankato Loyola boys basketball team is averaging 76.7 points, leading to a victory margin of more than 25 points per game.
But it was defense that sparked Monday’s 77-45 win over Nicollet, and it will be defense that will determine how successful the Crusaders will be this season.
“We have to defend,” Loyola coach Sam Carlson said. “You might struggle with shooting one night, or the other team might defend you well. Defense is always there, and if you play good defense, you always have a chance to win.”
Lawson Godfrey scored 28 points as Loyola won the Valley Conference game at Fitzgerald gym. Simon Morgan had 13 points, 11 rebounds and six assists, and Jake Sizer had eight points and 12 rebounds.
But the offense didn’t come easy for the Crusaders early. It took three minutes to score the first basket.
“Defense is huge for us,” Godfrey said. “We left some guys open early, and if you don’t play good defense, you don’t get the ball back.”
Finnally, Godfrey’s first 3-pointer went in, and the Crusaders were in the middle of a 17-4 run. Quinn Kelly’s 3-pointer started a 13-0 run that pushed the lead to 30-8 with 4:39 remaining in the first half.
Godfrey scored seven points, and Sizer made a layup to make it 45-20 at halftime.
Godfrey and Nicollet’s Trenton Havemeier traded 3-pointers to start the second half, but another 3-pointer by Godfrey highlighted a 7-0 run, After Connor Martens made a 3-pointer for the Raiders, Godfrey had three straight baskets in the lane as the lead grew to 68-32 with 9 minutes to play.
“Transition and offensive boards were big for us,” Godfrey said. “I hope it stays that way.”
Nicollet made some gains in the final five minutes, with Gavin Bode and Grant Bruns each finishing with 10 points.
It’s been nice because we’ve been winning, and we still have things we need to work on,” Carlson said. “We gave up too many good looks tonight. We’ll make adjustments and continue to work hard.”
Loyola (3-0) hosts St. Clair on Thursday. Nicollet (0-5) plays at Lake Crystal Wellcome Memorial on Thursday.
Follow Chad Courrier on Twitter @ChadCourrier.