DELTA, Mo. -- The Saxony Lutheran girls basketball team came into the Delta New Year's Tournament gunning for one thing: the title.
On Wednesday night, the top-seeded Crusaders got one step closer, blistering fourth-seeded Puxico 89-26 in a semifinal matchup at Delta High School.
Saxony Lutheran (10-1) began the game on a 16-2 run and never looked back, securing a title-game rematch with No. 2 Oran, which knocked off the Crusaders for the championship a year ago.
The two sides will face off tonight at 7:30 p.m.
Masyn McWilliams paced the victors with 21 points, along with five rebounds and three assists. But the bench was what bolstered Saxony Lutheran's big win, with Briann Jenkins scoring 15 points with five rebounds and Gracie Price putting up 10 points and pulling down five rebounds.
Starter Addison Beussink got in some early foul trouble but still finished with 10 points, six rebounds and four steals. Makayla Mueller led all players with five steals off the bench.
As a team, the Crusaders shot 41 of 70 (58.6 percent) from the floor.
Puxico (7-5) finished 9 of 39 (23.1 percent) from the field, including 4 of 18 (22.2 percent) from 3-point range, where the Indians are typically very dangerous.
Sophia Hancock had nine points for Puxico.
Saxony Lutheran wasted little time taking control, with an 8-1 spurt to begin the game, forcing a Puxico timeout after McWilliams rebounded her own miss and dropped it in.
Puxico got 3-pointers from Kaly Haynes and Kambryn Collard early in the third quarter, but it was a momentary bright spot for the Indians, who could not find a way to stop the Crusaders.