Crusader boys lose to Kingston in the division playoffs

On Saturday, Feb. 25, the Crusaders traveled to Kingston to face the Tigers in the first round of the OCIAA Section IX Division 1 playoffs.

The Crusaders entered the game with a 12-8 record on the season after beating Newburgh 46-44 in their last game. The Tigers were 14-5 on the season after beating Warwick 70-62. The two teams had split their home and away series during the season with Kingston beating Monroe-Woodbury 75-54 in Kingston and the Crusaders beating the Tigers two weeks later at home 57-55.

In the first quarter, the Tigers jumped out to an early lead as the Crusaders offense got off to a slow start. By the end of the quarter, Kingston was up 11-5.

In the second quarter, the Tigers stretched their lead to 26-17. Jayden Desire kept the Crusaders in the game by scoring 7 of his 9 points in the first half.

After the half, the Crusaders woke up and battled their way back into the game. Jankarlos Mendoza got the team going, scoring 12 of his 19 game points in the third quarter. When Darrel Davis hit a short jump shot with under a minute left in the quarter, the Crusaders took the lead 39-38.

In the fourth quarter, after the two teams exchanged leads, the score was tied at 46 with 1:35 left in the game. But the Crusaders offense stalled and the Tigers ran off 8 strait to finish the game with a 54-46 victory. The loss brings their record to 12-9.

The Crusaders look have another strong team next season as they will only lose four seniors and will return a core of talented underclassmen.