Central Valley. Crusaders hold Warwick scoreless in fourth quarter to secure a 46-38 victory
Warwick /
| 06 Feb 2023 | 01:08
Senior Olivia Shippee drives to the basket in the first half. Photos by William Dimmit.
Madison Fileen works past her Wildcat defender.
Ella Natal hits one of her three-point shots in the first half.
Arianna Exarchakis put the Crusaders up for good in the fourth quarter. She scored 17 in the game.
On Wednesday night, Feb. 1, the Monroe Woodbury Varsity Girls Basketball team hosted the Wildcats of Warwick in an important late season game.
Warwick came into the game with a 12-2 season record, which included a 45-27 victory over the Crusaders earlier in the year.
The Crusaders came into the game at 10-4, having won their last seven games.
The two teams battled through the first quarter with Madison Fileen scoring four points as the Crusaders took a 11-9 lead.
The Wildcats surged ahead and hit a -three point shot at the buzzer to go up 23-18 at the half.
Ella Natal hit her second three-point shot of the half to help keep the Crusaders in the game.
In the third quarter the Wildcats showed why they are one of the top Section 9 teams this year as they pulled to an 11-point lead.
Then, the Crusaders’ defense suddenly came alive as the team took over the boards on the defensive end and began to attack the basket on the offense.
Crusader Sienna Feeley tied the game at 38 when she hit her free throw attempt with 4:26 left in the game.
With 3:58 left, Arianna Exarchakis put the Crusaders ahead for good. She put on quite a show from the foul line as she hit seven free throws in the fourth fourth. She scored 17 points in the game.
Meanwhile, the Crusaders’ defense shut the door on the Wildcats, holding Warwick scoreless in the final quarter.
The Crusaders’ 46-38 victory brings their season record to 11-4. Their next game is away at Middletown.
- William Dimmit