SAN FRANCISCO - With 3:02 remaining in the second quarter, the usually raucous crowd at the Crusader Forum found itself in a state of silence and shock. St. Ignatius sophomore Giancarlo Toledo-Rivera had just hit a three to put the Wildcats ahead by a point, prompting Riordan coach Joe Curtin to call a timeout.
The heavily favored Crusaders were sleepwalking at home against their cross-town rivals and showed little signs of life for the first 13 minutes of the game, as it looked like the same St. Ignatius team that lost to the Crusaders by 25 just three weeks ago was outplaying Riordan on their home court. And then the Crusaders woke up. Riordan left the timeout and went on a 12-0 run to close the half and never looked back, carrying the momentum of the run to a 59-46 victory over the Wildcats.
“That run was huge because it showed us how we needed to play in the second half,” Curtin said following his team’s victory. “We needed that momentum to succeed in the second half."
Riordan was unsurprisingly led by their veteran backcourt of Jelani Clark and Bryce Monroe, as the two seniors combined for 31 points (16 for Clark and 15 for Monroe) as well as nine assists. For Je'Lani Clark, this game was especially important, as Clark played in his 101st game on Riordan’s varsity team, a new record. Yet, Monroe stole the show on Friday, throwing up alley oops, hustling on defense and interacting with the crowd during the victory, while grabbing four rebounds and committing only one turnover in his 24 minutes of play.
“That (fun) was the way we want to play,” Monroe said following the game. “Yet, at the same time we need to keep focus.”
Even after the Wildcats forfeited a 18-6 run to the Crusaders and found themselves in an 11-point hole with 3:58 remaining in the third quarter, they did not quit. Freshman guard King Jhsanni-Wilhite continued his stellar rookie season and went on a 6-0 run by himself to cut the Crusader lead to five, before Riordan closed out the quarter up eight. Jhsanni-Wilhite ended the game with 19 points and two rebounds, adding an impressive stat line to an already promising WCAL career.
“With a lot of their height, you just half to pick your poison and find ways to get around them,” Jhsanni-Wilite stated. “You either had to pull up or attack tonight."
Saint Ignatius’s last gasp came in the fourth quarter, as the Wildcats fought to close the Crusader lead to six points with 3:49 remaining. Yet, a series of baskets by Riordan forward Dominic Wilson, who finished the game with nine points and five rebounds, iced the game for the Crusaders, as Riordan closed the game on a 9-2 run. This win exercised another demon, as it was the Crusaders' first home victory against St. Ignatius since the 2013-14 season and came only days after the Crusaders won at Serra for the first time since 2009. The Crusaders currently sit on top of the WCAL, and are inside of the top 20 of the MaxPreps national rankings, as their dream season continues.
Both teams will next be in action on Tuesday. The Crusaders will host Valley Christian, while the Wildcats will travel to Mountain View to take on the Saint Francis Lancers.
Serra 80 Sacred Heart Cathedral 66
In other WCAL action, the Serra Padres bounced back from their consecutive heartbreaking losses to Mitty and Riordan by rolling the Sacred Heart Cathedral Fightin' Irish on the road. The Padres raced to a fast start, leading 36-13 at halftime. Yet, the Irish fought back in the second half, falling short but SHC outscored the Padres by nine in the second half to only lose by 14.
Both teams played a physical game, as the teams combined for 50 fouls, the highest for either team in WCAL play. Senior Jevon Jesus lead the way for the Padres with 17 points and eight rebounds while his teammate Dimitri Koutsogeorgas led the Padres with nine assists. For the Irish, Ray John Spears continued his stellar season, adding 15 points on Friday.
The Padres will host the Bellarmine Bells in The Jungle next Tuesday, while the Irish will travel down to San Jose to face the Mitty Monarchs.
