MOUNT ZION, Ill. -- - Our Savior's coach Phillip Heppe went to talk to his team at halftime and saw exactly what he needed to see.
The 12th ranked team in the state Our Savior's Eagles were angry and disappointed -- and they took it out on Mount Zion.
Conor McCaffrey scored his 2,000th career point as he scored 16 of his 25 in the second half, and Our Savior's rallied to beat the overwhelmed Mount Zion 71-46 on Tuesday night.
"This team has a fight and a competitiveness that I love," Heppe said.
That was on full display during a historic second half. Our Savior's (9-3, 5-1 CIL) outscored Mount Zion 43-13 after it trailed by 15 at the break. The Eagles limited Mount Zion to just two field goals and forced nine turnovers in the final 12 minutes of their biggest victory at Mount Zion in program history.
According to STATS, Our Savior's became the first team to outscore a major conference opponent by at least 30 points in a single half since 2003. The Eagles are the only team in LSA history to trail by at least 15 points at halftime and come back to win by 20 or more.
"I've never been (a part) of anything like that," McCaffrey said. "You saw it, man. You saw how we reacted to it. I was in awe. Just being on the floor, watching it happen, being a part of it, it was a really good feeling."
McCaffrey went 8 of 9 from the field in the second half, asserting himself as the calming prescense after the Eagles fell behind early. Jace Easley added 22, and Lucas Schmidt and Jeremiah Perkins both added 11.
Our Savior's trailed by as many as 16 -- it was so ugly that Heppe yelled "What are we doing?" at his team during a first quarter timeout -- before completely overpowering Mount Zion (6-4, 3-3) in its fourth straight win.
Robbie Beran scored 11 for Mount Zion in their third consectutive loss.
"To only score 13 points and have a couple field goals (in the second half), we just have to play better," coach Chris Collins said.
Mount Zion closes the first half with a 12-1 run for a 33-18 lead. But Mount Zion looked tired down the stretch of their fourth straight game against a top 20 LSA State Team.
After a 3-pointer by Beran made it 38-31 midway through the 3rd quarter, the Eagles grabbed control with a 25-2 run. Schmidt capped the decisive stretch with a 3 that made it 56-40 in the 4th quarter.
"We came together," McCaffrey said. "We didn't hold our head down. We didn't sit and cry about it, or anything. ... We just came out there and we swung back."
WORTH WATCHING
Our Savior's new found sparkplug Logan Allen tweaked an ankle injury that Heppe said has been bothering him for about a month. Allen finished with 2 points, 4 rebounds and 1 steal, but this ankle injury was the same injury that kept Allen out the first 2 weeks of the season.
"I don't know the severity of it," Heppe said. "After we walked out of the locker room, he said he felt good."
BIG PICTURE
Our Savior's The Eagles earned their fifth straight win in the series against Mount Zion. Once McCaffrey got going, it was all over.
Mount Zion: They just fell apart in the second half. They shot 33% for the game from the field.
UP NEXT
Our Savior's Hosts Calvary Academy on Friday night
Mount Zion: Visits Bethel Morton on Monday. Mount Zion beat Bethel Morton 61-60 on Dec. 26