SAN FRANCISCO — Perhaps a crushing loss was just what the Riordan Crusaders needed.
Losing to St. Francis in the CCS Open Division Quarterfinals seemed to wake the Crusaders up, and in the aftermath of that defeat, they’ve found a new gear, which they displayed on Thursday night with a 76-62 win over Vanden in the second round of the CIF Division I Tournament.
“We don’t wanna have no regrets,” said four-year starter Je’Lani Clark, who took just five shots but scored 12 points. “Just leave it all on the floor.”
Trailing for most of the third quarter even after Sacramento State commit Teiano Hardee broke his hand, Clark and Bryce Monroe, who scored a game-high 32, came together to spur the decisive run. Omari Davis, forced into action after Hardee got hurt on a foul with 2:14 left in the second quarter, gave the Vikings a 45-39 lead with 3:42 left in the third on a pair of free throws, but Riordan (23-5) closed the third on a 9-2 run and went on to score the first 14 of the fourth, with Monroe and Clark in sync with the post players to jump-start the offense.
With seven-footer Mor Seck on the bench after picking up his fourth foul, Robert Vaihola’s block, rebound and stretch pass to Monroe got the Crusaders within four, and after two of I’saac Montgomery’s team-high 23 points gave Vanden (27-7) a 47-42 lead, Vaihola missed an easy layup but grabbed his own rebound, drew the foul and made two free throws. A Riiny Riiny outlet pass to Clark led to another contested layup to make it a one-point game, and Monroe hit an elbow jumper to put the hosts ahead for the first time since the opening quarter.
“They thought we shot the ball from the 3-point really well, so they stuck out, which allowed us to get in the lane, get open layups and get drop-offs,” Monroe said. “I can always finish with one big, and they weren’t really double-teaming me tonight.”
With the Crusader Forum, which was little more than half-full, roaring like a packed Allen Fieldhouse, the home side ate it up and grabbed the first 14 points in the fourth quarter. Vaihola started it off with two free throws, then pulled down one of his team-high 10 rebounds and kicked it out to Riiny for a three for a 13-point lead. Another Riiny stretch pass led to a Clark dunk, and suddenly the top-seeded Crusaders were in complete control, with both Riiny and Vaihola, who scored eight, making key plays to open things up for the guards.
“They’re gaining more trust in the guards,” head coach Joey Curtin said. “That’s building their confidence up, and you see it. It’s nice to see that, and I’m glad it’s happening now.”
Davis, who scored 11 and showed admirable heart in Hardee’s absence, hit a 3-pointer to finally end the run, but the ninth-seeded Vikings would never get back within single digits again.
“They didn’t have to worry about Teiano anymore, and once he went down, that was one less person to have to worry about,” Vanden head coach Micheal Holloway said. “Losing one of them is a big hit for us, and it’s different when your all-time leading scorer goes out of the game.”
Hardee had scored 11, including a pair of early 3-pointers, during his 12 minutes on the court, and it was hardly a coincidence that the Vikings had their largest lead at 33-26 when he got hurt, having shaken off a slow start. Riordan had led 16-6 before Montgomery hit a pair of threes and got one of his 11 offensive rebounds to set another one up for Hardee, and back-to-back threes by Montgomery and Agjanti Miller (10 points) gave the Vikings a 27-24 lead with 3:19 left in the second and forced a Crusader timeout after a 10-3 run. Monroe scored on an up-and-under move out of the timeout, but the visitors would get the next six before losing Hardee.
With their star out, Vanden would withstand a 6-0 run as Monroe got the last four of his 19 first-half points and Vaihola sank an elbow jumper. Davis closed the half with two free throws and the lead would get back to seven early in the third with four points from Jacques Jones, the only other senior alongside Hardee, but Riordan would take the lead by the end of the quarter and hold on from there, largely fueled by an offense that had finally learned how to attack zone defenses.
“Joey did a great job preparing us this week and putting in new things, and we’ve really been able to master playing against the zone,” Monroe said.
With Riiny setting high screens, Vaihola’s ability to get to the line and strong play from Seck before getting into foul trouble, the Crusaders finally looked like the complete package they were often advertised as, putting the game away with a lightning-quick press break.
Next up for Riordan is fourth-seeded De La Salle, with tip-off set for 6 p.m. on Saturday.
