Washingtonville ends the Crusader's season

WASHINGTONVILLE — The Monroe-Woodbury Crusaders and the Washingtonville Wizards met in the opening round of the Section 9 Class AA Basketball tournament last Monday, Feb. 26, in Washingtonville.
The Crusaders entered the game with a 10-9 record and the No. 6 seed while the Wizards were 15-5 and the No. 3 seed. The two teams met earlier in the season with the Wizards winning 36-29.
The Wizards got off to a 10-point first quarter lead. Crusader Savanah Paul nailed a three-point shot at the buzzer to keep the Crusaders' hopes alive.
The Wizards began to pull away in the second quarter, taking a 27-12 lead into the locker room behind the four three-point shots made by Dyana Budakowski.
Things did not improve for the Crusaders after the break. The Wizards- long-range aerial assault continued, with the team hitting eight more three-point shots, giving them a total of 13 in the game.
The Crusaders tried several times to mount a rally, but the night belonged to the Wizards.
Crusader Jamie Waldron scored 13 and Melissa Alifano and Colleen Kinsella each chipped in six.
The 57-38 loss brought the Monroe-Woodbury Girls Varsity Basketball team's season to an end; the Crusaders finished with a 10-10 overall record.
The Crusaders look toward the future: They will only lose one player to graduation and with nine sophomores on the roster this year, they should improve their record over the next two years.
- William Dimmit