Crown Point’s AJ Lux was getting some fatherly advice on the bench Friday night.

Lux’s dad, T.J., the former Merrillville head coach, is an assistant for the Bulldogs.

“He was like, ‘Elbow in, elbow in,’” AJ said.

AJ heard his dad loud and clear, shooting 7 of 12 from 3-point range and finishing with a team-high 21 points during a 76-61 win over host Munster.

The 6-foot-4, 139-pound Lux made five 3-pointers in the third quarter for Crown Point (4-0).

It was sign of what could be on the horizon for opponents as Lux, a sophomore, made his first start.

At this point, Lux is a catch-and-shoot guard.

He was coming off screens, finding open spaces and unleashing his shot for much of the first three quarters.

Crown Point coach Clint Swan said Lux was “huge in that third quarter. He made some big shots.”

The Bulldogs ended up 13 of 27 from 3-point range.

Lux helped Crown Point maintain a comfortable lead, which was mostly double digits during the second half.

Still, it was Drew Adzia and David Brown that got the Bulldogs off to a fast start.

Adzia, who finished with 14 points, opened with two quick 3-pointers. It forced Munster coach Mike Hackett to call a timeout just 32 seconds into the game.

The Mustangs (0-1) were trailing by six points. After the timeout, Lux then made a 3-pointer to give Crown Point a 9-0 lead.

The Bulldogs never trailed, and the closest Munster could get was within four points during the first quarter.

Brown, a 6-5 senior, owned the second quarter by scoring nine of his 19 points. He also chipped in with six rebounds.

“David Brown was fantastic,” Swan said. “He was so good. Everyone will remember the shots, but he had to guard (Luka) Balac on the other end. And he did a great job on the boards for us.”

Brown enjoyed the win, but he also issued a subtle warning.

“That was a great team win for us,” he said. “I don’t think we should get too hyped up. We have a lot of tough games left.”

Ty Smith, a 6-1 senior guard, took care of the fourth quarter for Crown Point by scoring seven of his 11 points. He also had six assists.

Hackett said his team just got outplayed.

“They put a good one on us from start to finish,” Hackett said.

The Mustangs hadn’t played a game after getting sidelined with coronavirus issues.

Clayton Bubash led Munster with 21 points and Balac added 19. Jeremiah Lovett also reached double figures with 12.

Hackett said it has “been a crazy year but I don’t know what to say. I don’t want to sound like I’m making excuses.”

He also said Crown Point was “obviously sharper and better.”