Tyace Thompson #1, works past a Viking defender in the first half.
Jeremiah Arne, #14, led the Crusaders to victory scoring 17 points in the game.
Matthew Omitiran, #21, played another strong game down low, scoring 10.
Jankarlos Mendoza, #40, has brought a spark to the Crusaders offense this year.
On Friday night, the Crusaders traveled to Clarkstown South High School to take on the Vikings. The Crusaders entered the game with an 11-5 record on the season after a tough loss to Newburgh in their last game.
The Crusaders got off to a strong start with Samuel Fileen and Jankarlos Mendoza each hitting three point shots. But it was Jeremiah Arne that got the Crusader bench and fans on their feet with his one handed jam near the end of the quarter as the team took a 16-11 lead.
In the second quarter the Crusaders cooled off and the Vikings slowly edged ahead and took a 28-23 half time lead. The game got interesting in the third quarter as the Crusaders tied the score, but the Vikings edged back up 38-35 as the quarter ended.
With the stage set for the Crusaders, the question was. what are you going to do now? You are behind by 3 on the road after a big loss to Newburgh. Fold up or fight back. The Crusaders answered back. With 4:14 left in the game, the Vikings took a 1-point lead. Crusader Arne then knocked down a 3-point shot to put the Crusaders up by 2 with 3:36 left.
The Vikings came right back with a 3 of their own to retake the lead, 2:25 left. That’s when Matthew Omitiran scored with :44 seconds left in the game to put the Crusaders back up, but the Vikings scored again and tied the score at 47. Crusader Arne then took the game in his hands and glided thru the Viking defense and laid one in the basket to give the Crusaders the victory.
The Crusaders showed a lot of heart in their come back 49-47 victory, a good sign as they get ready to make a playoff run in the next week.