The 15-year wait is over for Heritage Christian Academy

It has been a long time coming, but good things are often granted to those who wait. Well the 15-year wait is over for Heritage Christian Academy as their prayers were finally answered Friday night at Anoka-Ramsey Community College. The Eagles, from the tiny faith-based school in Maple Grove, are going to the state tournament for the first time thanks to an impressive 71-58 win over Mayer Lutheran in the section 4A championship game. “I feel so blessed by the Lord to have this opportunity,” said Heritage coach Lori Crellin. ”These girls are like daughters to me, and it's pretty special when I can see them achieve something like this. We give all the glory to God.”

Truth be told, there was no divine intervention required for Heritage on this night. They had things pretty much under control from the opening tip and quickly built an 18-6 lead. Mayer Lutheran got outhustled early, and seemed to be caught off guard by the Eagles' tenacity and pace. One of the keys for Heritage was limiting the impact of Mayer's outside shooting, which usually does a lot of damage. “We worked hard in practice focusing on defending their outside shots,” said Heritage guard Taylie Scott. “They still did a very good job of that, knocking down some major threes.”

The lead eventually stretched to 20 points before Mayer's terrific tandem of Maddy Hucky and Mya Chmielewski stanched the bleeding, cutting the halftime lead to 11. In the second period, despite the heroic efforts of Hucky and Chmielewski, Mayer Lutheran never got closer than eight. Both players finished the game with 20 points and concluded their Crusaders' careers with more than 1,000 apiece. They will be sorely missed at Mayer, which finished their season at 19-10.

The game eventually became a festival of free throws as the Crusaders attempted to claw their way back into it, but Heritage made 10 freebies in the final three minutes to secure their trip to state. On the night, Scott and senior forward Annika Simonson went 13 of 14 at the line. Both players had exceptional games overall. Simonson battled through a painful knee injury to score 18 points. Scott shot 7 of 9 from the field and had 27. Lanky sophomore Jordan Allen made a big contribution in the rebounding and shot-blocking department. Senior guard Lauren Robbins was outstanding, making 3 of 4 triples. “Jordan Allen didn't have a ton of points tonight, but her presence down low was huge,” Crellin said. “And what can you say about Taylie Scott? She just brought what she can bring.”

What she can bring is a lot. Scott has been the conductor of this orchestra since the 7th grade, and there is no question that she knows how to win. The 5'7 dynamo quarterbacked Crossfire Theisen 2019 to a pair of AAU state titles and numerous tournament wins across the country. She is a top-shelf talent who will be heading out west this spring to visit some D1 mid majors. “In AAU you're playing for your club, but this is a whole school event,” she said. “That's the biggest difference. I mean, no basketball team has ever gone to state so it will be a first for our school and it will be super fun.”

Ultimately, David never did slay Goliath in section 4A, but eventually the giant left town as Maranatha Christian Academy grew just big enough to be bumped up into class 2A. In their wake, Maranatha left the door open for Heritage, an opportunity they did not squander on Friday night.