Monroe-Woodbury falls to NFA, dashing playoff hopes

NEWBURGH — On Monday night, Feb. 11, the Crusaders traveled to Newburgh Free Academy to take on the Goldbacks in an OCIAA Division 1 match up.
The Crusaders entered the game with their playoff hopes on the line. They needed to sweep their last three opponents to get to .500 on the season to qualify.
The Goldbacks got off to a good start and pulled away to a 10-point lead but Nick Memoli’s two three-point shots kept the Crusaders within striking distance.
The Goldbacks increased their lead to 16 points in the second quarter. They controlled the boards and their defense took advantage of several Crusader turnovers and scored in transition.
In the third quarter, the Crusaders put a run together and cut the Goldback lead to 11. Connor Coffey led the comeback bid as he scored 10 of his 18 points in the quarter.
It was all Goldbacks in the final quarter as they increased their lead to 24 points and won the game by a score of 77-53.
The loss brings the Crusaders' season record to 7-11 and, with only two games left in the season, eliminates their playoff hopes.
Their next game will be at home on Friday afternoon at 1:30 p.m. when they take on the Wizards of Washingtonville.
- William Dimmit