Crusaders succumb to the Kingston Tigers 75-71 in varsity basketball

CENTRAL VALLEY — Last Friday night, Jan. 5, the Monroe-Woodbury Crusaders battled the Tigers of Kingston in a key OCIAA Division 1 basketball contest at home in Central Valley.
The Crusaders entered the game hoping to record their first league victory of the season against a very strong Tiger team.
The Crusaders came out of the locker room ready to play. Rob Vacco scored 15 of his game-high 22 points, hitting four the-point shots in the first quarter as the team jumped out to 12-point lead.
The Crusaders stretched their lead to 14 points by the half, getting nine points from Brandon Adams, who hit on three three-point shots in the second quarter.
But the Crusaders' 14-point half time lead began to disappear in the third quarter as the Crusader outside shooting began to get cold and the Tiger defense began to tighten up.
The Tigers cut the lead down to 10 points, 60-50, as the teams entered the fourth quarter.
The final quarter proved to be all Tigers as they scored 25 points and held the Crusaders to 11 as they went on to a 75-71 victory.
The loss brings the team's season record to 4-5.
- William Dimmit