Stepinac Rolls Into Finals
The Stepinac Crusaders have been a team on a mission all season. Since some early losses, they have been pretty much been impossible to beat. They did end up losing to the St Raymond HS Ravens in the NY title game but sometimes that motivates your team. The St Francis Prep Terriers won the Brooklyn/Queens intersectional and could care less who they play they just want a chance at a championship.
St. Francis Prep scored first, Stepinac hit a triple, and the Crusaders got a steal which led to a big slam. Terriers missed, 6’3” PG Johnuel “Boogie” Fland (Archbishop Stepinac HS, NY ‘24 )went 1/2 from the line. St Francis Prep scored and 6’5” SG Jasiah Jervis (Archbishop Stepinac HS, NY ’26) got his first bucket. Terrier’s 6’0” PG Vere Anthony (St. Francis Prep HS, NY ’25) scored inside. Stepinac missed, and 5’11” PG Troy Fason (St. Francis Prep HS, NY ’26) hit a floater. The Crusaders missed but Jervis canned a three after an offensive rebound. Anthony made two free throws, and Jervis converted an and1. Fason drove the defense for two and the Terriers called timeout.
Stepinac led 14-12 when Fland hit a pull up, but Prep missed. The Crusaders scored off a miss, and the Terriers turned it over. Jervis scored to end the quarter. The Terriers missed, Stepinac scored, and St Francis Prep turned it over. The Crusaders hit two more free throws when Anthony finally scored to stop the bleeding. Stepinac went 1/2 from the line. St Francis Prep didn’t convert, and the Crusaders scored. The Terriers hit a triple but Jervis came down and buried a deep three. St Francis Prep missed, Stepinac hit a free throw then scored off a Terrier’s turnover but Anthony drew a foul. He went 1/2, Prep went 1/2 on the next possession but Stepinac scored again.
Anthony finished a layup, injured his calf. Jervis hit a three, Prep hit two free throws but Fland scored in the final seconds. Stepinac led 39-23 at the half, and the Terriers opened up with a hoop. Fland hit two free throws, St Francis Prep hit a free throw, but Stepinac missed. Anthony scored and got another bucket on the next play despite definitely being banged up. Stepinac called for a timeout, and Jervis got loose for two. Fason scored and got fouled but missed the free throws. Fland came down converting a tough and1, and Anthony missed two free throws. Stepinac hit a three, St Francis Prep turned it over and Fland scored again.
The Terriers got an inside score, Stepinac hit a free throw, and Anthony found Fason for two. The Crusaders missed two freebies. The Terrier’s grabbed the rebound, Anthony picked his opponents pocket for a layup to end the third quarter. Stepinac led 52-38 but gave up an and1. Fland hit a pull up, Fason scored, and the Crusaders turned it over. Fason went 1/2 from the line and Fland got free for another two. Fason hit a bucket, Stepinac missed, and Anthony scored. Jervis drilled a three, St Francis Prep missed and Fland converted a clutch and1. Fason converted a layup, hit a free throw after a Stepinac miss. The Crusaders scored and the Terriers went 1/2 from the line.
The Crusaders called a timeout they were up by 12-points and then went on a huge 7-0 run putting the game out of reach for the exhausted Terriers. Stepinac won the game 73-52, Fland was big in the second half finishing with 21-points. Jervis had 21-points, he was our pick for MVP. Anthony showed he’s an elite defender, has no quit in him and finished with 17-points. Fason was big adding 16-points. St Francis Prep is disappointed, but they bring back almost their entire rotation for next season. The night belonged to the Crusaders who will look to win back-to-back CHSAA Intersectional Titles on Sunday and cement themselves as one of the top 10 programs in the entire country.