The Flathead Valley Crusaders, a local home-schooled basketball team, made a bit of history in February when they overcame injury and made a late-season push to the Montana Christian Athletic Association boys state title. 

They weren’t done.

From March 16-20 they joined 407 other basketball teams at the National Christian Homeschool Basketball Championships in Springfield, Missouri. Five games in five days; all wins. The Crusaders came away with the D3 National Title, beating teams from Ohio, Kentucky, Michigan and, at the end, St. Louis. 

“There’s usually an LA team in there,” Crusaders coach Mark Kenney said last week. “This was more like Middle America-South: Texas, Indiana, Kentucky, that whole range.” 

Speaking of range, Jon Dannic hit 44 percent of his 3-point attempts in Springfield (14 of 32); he averaged a team-high 17.4 points for the five games.  

Patrick Bonner, at 6-foot-1 giving up 5-6 inches at times in the low post, averaged 13.2 points and 12.5 rebounds. Zeph Stutzman was good for 12.4 points per outing. 

The Crusaders took eight players in and beat all comers — OK, not all, since the 400-plus teams are split among boys and girls programs and into divisions. There’s a bit of mystery in the seeding: Basically teams are made to fit in one of two super divisions and the first round game decides who stays and who drops a level.   

After the Hawks of Columbus, Ohio, fell to the Crusaders 54-49, they ended up in the D4 championship, though they lost. 

The Crusaders kept winning: 44-42 over Marian, Ohio; 64-57 over the Shoreline Breakers out of Grand Rapids; then 71-58 over the LKY Saints of Louisville, Kentucky. 

They took on the St. Louis Blue Knights in the D3 final and prevailed 56-45. 

Grant Kenney, son of Mark, had 21 assists against eight turnovers in five games while averaging 7.8 points. Nathan Turner, Landon Keihn, Zach Bellinski and Keaton Williams all contributed on a team that finished 34-6 overall. 

The losses came to the likes of Kalispell’s own Stillwater Christian (twice) and MHSA program Seeley-Swan. But don’t classify the competition in Missouri as second-rate: Dozens upon dozens of players have moved on to Division I programs. Blake Griffin played in the event. 

The Crusaders may not have anyone quite like “Blake the Quake,” but Mark Kenney figures players like Bonner, who is a junior, could play college ball. 

“Extremely athletic,” Kenney said. “He has the potential to play at the next level if he decides to pursue it.” 

Dannic might be another candidate.  “He had an amazing time at nationals,” Kenney said of the guard, who played at Glacier High and then the past two years for the Crusaders. “He had a crazy game in the championship; he hit six threes. And it was his final game, so it was good to see that.” 

That’s another positive. Dannic is the only senior Crusader. Kenney, who had 23 players split between varsity, JV and C squad this season, figures his team is set for another banner campaign. Springfield had better be ready. 

“We’d move into the highest division next year, I assume,” Kenny said. “I feel confident we could move up and do well there.” 

Sports Editor Fritz Neighbor can be reached at 406-758-4463 or [email protected]. If you value local journalism, pledge your support at dailyinterlake.com/support.