Crusaders beat Wildcats in nail biter
Central Valley. The victory brings their record to 11-1 for the season.
Warwick /
| 24 Jan 2024 | 11:14
Nicolas Sanchez, #20, provided an offensive spark to get the Crusaders’ offense going. (
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Kyle McDermott, #23, crashes through the Wildcats’ defense. (
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Fabrice Ndja, #00, drives to the basket in the second half. (
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Jankarlos Mendoza, #40, led the Crusaders’ offense with his 20 points in the game. (
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On Monday, January 22, the Monroe-Woodbury Crusaders boys’ varsity basketball traveled to Warwick Valley High School to face the Wildcats. The Crusaders’ 45-42 loss to Middletown in their last game snapped their winning streak at 10 and brought their record to 10-1. The Wildcats took the court with a record of 8-4 after beating Washingtonville 43-40.
The Wildcats came out and took charge in the first quarter, running off to a 17-5 lead. The Crusaders’ offense still seemed uncharacteristically quiet. The offense seemed to be stuck in neutral during the last three quarters vs Middletown, and now during the first quarter of this game it was time for a gut check.
In the second quarter, the Crusaders showed some signs of waking up as CJ Pearson scored 5 of his 8 in the game, but the Wildcats held on to a 26-18 half-time lead. The Crusaders’ defense started to slow down the Wildcats as Jankarlos Mendoza kept the Crusaders in the game by scoring 7 of his 20 in the third.
The Crusaders still could not catch the Wildcats; every time they would make a run the Wildcats would answer back, as they held a 36-30 lead.
In the fourth quarter, Nicolas Sanchez provided the much-needed spark to get the Crusaders’ offense rolling again. The junior came off the bench and scored 11 and put the team up with a 3-point shot, 39-36 with 4:36 left in the game.
The Crusaders won a very hard-fought, come-from-behind road victory at 50-43. The victory brings their record to 11-1 for the season. The Crusaders will host the Wizards of Washingtonville on Friday night.