Crusaders narrowly lose to Warriors
Central Valley. The clock ran out before they could overtake the Warriors’ five-point lead.
| 30 Jan 2025 | 02:10
On January 28, the Monroe-Woodbury Crusaders hosted the Warriors from Our Lady of Lourdes High School in a non-league match up. The Crusaders entered the game with a four-game winning streak after beating Columbia in their last game 71-57. The Warriors showed up with an impressive 10-2 record for the season after beating Spackenkill 68-47.
In the first quarter the teams traded baskets until the Warriors went on a run and pulled off a 17-10 lead. Crusader junior Fabrice Ndja scored four of his 13 points in the game to help keep scoring close. In the second quarter Charlie Theokas came off the bench and sparked a Crusaders come back. He scored eight points as the Crusaders had the lead briefly but the Warriors edged ahead at the half and led 28-27.
In the third quarter the Warriors took over and stretched their lead to 11 points while Trayvon McGraw scored four of his 10 points to keep the Crusaders in the game. Early in the fourth quarter the Warriors rose to a 13-point lead with about three minutes left in the game. That’s when the Crusaders stormed back with Jamie Reich scoring five of his eight points in the game and cut the Warriors’ lead down to four with :56 left.
Unfortunately, there was not enough time and the Warriors held on to a 57-52 victory. The Crusaders’ loss brings their record to 7-6 for the season.