Burlison on Basketball

Frank Burlison | High School Basketball | College Basketball

Caplan and “bigs” lead Crean Lutheran Wednesday

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SANTA ANA – The offensive efficiency – and long-range, jump-shooting accuracy – of sophomore Hunter Caplan, and the high-jumping and high-energy junior duo of big guys was just enough to allow Crean Lutheran’s boys’ basketball team to prevail in its first real test of the season Wednesday evening at Foothill High.

The 6-foot-3 Caplan (pictured/a transfer from Brentwood Academy) scored 19 points – including three 3s – with four assists and three rebounds  to help the Saints go to 2-0 with their 57-54 victory over Bakersfield Christian during a “Feast Week” game.

And their junior tandem of 6-8 Will Malual (14 points and 13 rebounds) and 6-7 Jacob Majok (nine points, 10 rebounds and four steals) – both came to the U.S. from South Sudan and enrolled at Crean Lutheran in the early spring of 2023 – combined for 23 points and 23 rebounds.

In their Nov. 20 opener at Valley Christian, the Saints cruised past Oakwood, 73-44.

But the competition was much more formidable Wednesday night, especially since the Eagles had regained the services of gifted 6-8 sophomore Taiwo Daramola who had missed their first two games (which they split) while undergoing a concussion protocol period.

Daramola, a 4.0 student from Nigeria, was limited to one basket and two rebounds in a first half that ended with the Saints up by a point.

But he was more than up to the challenge presented by Malual and Majok after intermission, hitting all three of his shots from in or around the lane, grabbing seven rebounds and blocking two shots – one of those in spectacular fashion on a dunk attempt by Majok.
“Taiwo was really good in the second half,” Eagles’ Coach Garrett Brown said. “But we’ve got to do a better job of getting him the ball.”

As the case with the Saints’ Coach Nate Klitzing, Brown’s lineup and key subs are underclassmen heavy.

The Eagles (who upset Long Beach Poly and La Costa Canyon on the road in the  Southern Regional DII playoffs before finishing 21-12) started two other sophomores – Jeremias Killebrew and Caiden Jackson – with freshman Braylen Smith their first player off bench.

Killebrew scored a team-high 14 points, including a couple of 3s, Wednesday night.

Crean Lutheran’s lineup should get “younger”, too, when projected starting point guard Caden Jones is cleared to play – perhaps in time for the team’s Dec. 26-30 Gold Division games in the Classic at Damien.

The 6-3 Jones is a superb athlete who is also a standout quarterback. He suffered a knee injury early in the Saints’ Sept. 13 game with San Juan Hills, after completing 80 percent of his passes for eight touchdowns in the first three games.

The Saints’ basketball team returns to action in Huntington Beach Friday for a 5 o’clock meeting with host Marina in another “Feast Week” clash.

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