Stepinac holds off Iona Prep

In a best-of-7 series, the team who can make quick adjustments usually wins majority of the time. In this case, it was Archbishop Stepinac. Despite winning the series opener on Friday night, the Crusaders utilized their short practice time to learn from their mistakes. The result was surging to a huge early lead in Game 2 and hanging on for a 61-54 victory.

"I'm happy for our guys to come out, compete, be aggressive and take care of another win on the road," Crusaders head coach Patrick Massaroni said.

The Crusaders brought energy from tip off with a 10-0 run in the span of two and a half minutes to take an early 15-6 lead. Isaiah Alexander and Josh Zangerle both knocked down a three-pointer while Joel Baez and Malcolm Chimezie made a layup apiece. The Crusaders forced five missed field goals and two turnovers during the run as well.

"We defended really well," Massaroni explained. "We rebounded and then we shared the ball on the offensive end. That was our key. I thought we defended well for a half in the first game. I thought we defended well tonight for almost a full game. Lastly, we were being very unselfish."

The Crusaders increased their lead in the second quarter using their length and athleticism. Massaroni's squad held the Gaels to eight points in the period on only three made field goals in 15 possessions. The Crusaders forced 10 misses and a pair of turnovers.

"Whenever you can have four or five guys who are 6-foot-4 or bigger on your roster, it gives you a major advantage," Massaroni said. "Now our guys who are bigger are buying into helping, recovering and rebounding. There's a reason why our program is where it's at. Guys compete day in and day out and get better."

Chimezie had the highlight of the night for the Crusaders, scoring the team's first seven points of the third quarter, including a three-point play for a commanding 39-21 advantage. The senior forward led a balanced offense with 12 points, including 10 in the second half. Chimezie grabbed six rebounds and swatted a pair of shots as well.

"Just trying to put them away," Chimezie said about his strong third quarter. "You don't want to drag games like this out. We didn't want to give them opportunities to come back. I just wanted to take things slow. When I get the ball, I know that they're going to bring the double team so just turn it around, face it up and see who's open.

"On one of my points, I turned around and the defender was right there. If I went quick, it would've been a charge, but you got to take your time. Figure out a move to do and go from there."

"Malcolm did a great job when he was doubled and triple-teamed in getting it off to his teammates and executing in the half court," Massaroni said about his senior forward. "When you're the opposing team's main focus, you have to adjust. I think he did that from Game 1 to Game 2 and from the first half to the second half. That's why he's a really, really good player and he's going to be successful playing this game at the next level and beyond. That's why he is who he is and has 21 Division I offers."

Boogie Fland and Samuel Gibbs both scored 11 points. Fland converted 6-of-8 free throws in the fourth quarter to assist the Crusaders in holding on for the victory. The freshman guard corralled nine boards. Gibbs made a pair of layups, mid-range jumper and a three-pointer from the right wing. The junior guard collected seven rebounds and dished out five assists.

Baez (9), Francisco Mattei (8), Alexander (5) and Zangerle (5) rounded out the scoring for the Crusaders, who accumulated 36 missed field goals and 10 turnovers in 66 defensive possessions.

"Being that long and athletic helps because not many teams can hang with us down low and on the wing," Chimezie explained. "That size is a plus because it gives us an edge over smaller teams."

For the Gaels, Isaac Gonzalez scored eight of the team's 21 fourth-quarter points in an attempted rally. The junior guard swished a pair of three-pointers, including one to cut the deficit to 59-54 with 18.5 seconds remaining. Gonzalez made a layup as well. Overall, the 6-foot-1 guard had 12 points, two steals, one assist and a rebound.

"We finally got desperate," Gaels head coach Steve Alvarado said about his team's fourth-quarter performance. "Maybe just bringing in different lineup changes and injecting certain guys in there for some additional energy might have helped. We have to be urgent from the beginning of the game. We can't wait until the fourth quarter because it's too much to overcome against a quality team at this level."

Ronald Greene, Jr. led with a game-high 17 points. The junior forward was one of the few Gaels able to consistently crack the Crusaders' lengthy defense, finishing three layups and a floater. Greene connected on a pair of three-pointers as well. The 6-foot-4 forward posted 15 boards, five assists, a steal and a block.

"We need him to continue to try and lead us," Alvarado said about Greene. "We're happy about his play early in the year. We need him to be a bigger leader in terms of just getting his teammates settled and expressing to them how hard to come out. That's where we need him to be much more vocal and a little bit more demonstrative on the court: so they can feed off his energy as our best player."

Andy Brogan Kim grabbed seven rebounds. Jaylen Pray (9), Bangaly Berete (5), Orlando Wallace (5), Lawrence Mitchell (4) and Blaise New (2) rounded out the scoring for the Gaels.

"When we play really hard, physical and aggressive, we've been able to impact the game more positively," Alvarado explained on the positive takeaways from the first two contests of the series. "The challenge is that we have younger guys who are inexperienced overall."

Game 3 of this best-of-7 series will be on Friday night at 7pm at Archbishop Stepinac High School.

"We got to work on our press break," Massaroni said on adjustments needed for Game 3. "We got to work at finishing at the rim and making shots in transition. Being aggressive and not settling."