LAFAYETTE – For the second year in a row, Christian Life proved to be too much for Country Day to handle in the Class 1A final.

At least this year, the Cajuns made headway against the Crusaders.

Country Day fell 48-39, a 19-point difference from the 2007 championship game defeat.

Not that that’s a difference in the record book.

“Runner-up is the first-place loser,” Country Day guard Jordan McGuire said.

Poor shooting did the Cajuns (25-14) in – they started out 3-of-11 and were down 14-2 before the first quarter even ended.

Christian Life held Country Day to 30 percent shooting, and to half of its average points in the playoffs.

“We did an excellent job defensively on them,” Crusaders head coach Todd Foster said. “They were 14-of-46. We can’t guard much more than that.”

“I’d love to have been the other way, 14-2,” Country Day head coach Mike McGuire said. “Our guys battled. We told them it’s a long game. Whether we’re down 14-2 or ahead 14-2, we’re going to battle.”

Country Day did, thanks to it willing its tempo on the Crusaders (38-2). The Cajuns slowed down the game and cut the lead to five at halftime despite standout junior forward Eddie Ludwig picking up his third foul midway through the second quarter.

It didn’t please Foster that his players didn’t go at Ludwig, who finished with 26 points and 12 rebounds, after that third foul.

“I thought then we should have attacked the basket more instead of shooting 3’s,” Foster said. “I thought then he would get passive around the basket. I was disappointed our guys didn’t recognize that.”

Ludwig’s game didn’t change all that much on the offensive end. It was on defense that things changed.

“I wasn’t going in trying to take charges or going after blocks,” Ludwig said. “I was playing timidly on the defensive end so I wouldn’t pick up my fourth.”

He added, “I don’t think it affected how I played in the second half.”

In fact, Ludwig woke up in the third, tying the game at 24 with a quick layup and a 3-pointer.

But Christian Life answered with a 10-2 run of its own.

Still, the game wasn’t firmly out of Country Day’s hands. The Cajuns cut the lead back into single digits at 44-37 when Ludwig made a lay-up and the foul shot.

And Christian Life kept the Cajuns in the game the whole time, missing four foul shots in a row. But Country Day couldn’t take advantage, as Ludwig missed two free throws of his own.

So, for the second year in a row, the Cajuns travel back down Interstate 10 with a season-ending loss in the championship game. However, with the team losing only three seniors, McGuire already feels confident about the future.

“Nobody wants to finish second,” McGuire said. “I thought we had an opportunity to win. We’re here to take home the gold trophy, not the silver. We’ll be back.”