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District 2 Boys Recap (Holy Cross vs. Holy Redeemer)
 

District 2 Boys Recap (Holy Cross vs. Holy Redeemer)

Written by: Jon K on December 16, 2023

 

 

December 15, 2023

 

Crusaders Cruise to Victory

 

Holy Cross 69, Holy Redeemer 49

 

By Phil Thrash

DUNMORE – With matchups against high-level teams as Wilkes-Barre Area, Scranton, Emmaus and Loyalsock, Holy Redeemer entered Holy Cross’ gymnasium on Friday night with yet another tough opponent in their way.

Paul Guido spoke of Holy Redeemer’s tough non-conference schedule, “The experience that we’re gaining right now with all these good teams will make us ready for the rest of the season.”

The Royals stood their ground and played well, shooting 42% from the field and generating seven steals in the contest.  That, however, would fail to match the Crusader’s lethal field goal percentage of 62% as Holy Cross cruised to a 69-49 victory.

“We do a lot of shooting,” first-year HC head coach Al Callejas Jr. said in the postgame, “We have kids capable of hitting the three and if we spread the floor, we got other kids that can drive to the basket.”

Holy Cross set the tone early, turning a 2-2 game into a double-digit lead with buckets from Mike Hughes and Mario Matrone.  A rare four-point play from Mark Atherton would pull HR back into contention, but back-to-back buckets from Matt Lyons quickly erased the Royals’ momentum.

Callejas praised his team’s offensive performance but stressed how it starts on the defensive end, “When we can score in transition, everyone gets confident.”

Guido spoke to the Royals facing an early deficit, “It’s a home game for them, if they can play with a lead like that it’s a tough situation for us.”

Both sides would trade two additional buckets to close out the frame, ultimately giving the Crusaders a 20-10 advantage.

Paul Guido noted how he wasn’t satisfied with his squad’s defense performance on the night but was quick to give credit to Holy Cross for making it happen, “They were quicker and more aggressive than we were tonight, they sliced and cut us up defensively a little bit.”

Midway through the second period, George Sabatini would whittle his side’s deficit down to nine points with a mid-range jumper and an open layup in the paint, but the Crusaders would promptly re-establish their double-digit lead and expand it for the remainder of the contest.

HC found their stroke before halftime with Adam Badyrka and Mike Huges each converting two triples.  The duo would combine to make five of their six attempts from three-point range in the half.

“When you have freshmen come in, they may be less confident, however, these kids from day one weren’t afraid of the atmosphere,” Al Callejas Jr. said of Badyrka’s performance.

The Royals put up a respectable half converting 43% of their field-goals, but it was nowhere near the 61% success rate for the Crusaders, including making six of their 13 attempts from beyond the arc in the half.

Ball movement was key to the Holy Cross attack throughout the game as they were able to find open looks all over the court, leading to five assists over the first two stanzas.  Whenever a Crusader shot attempt didn’t go through the net, their teammates were positioned to retain offensive possession as they brought down four rebounds before the halftime break.

The Holy Cross coach emphasized how ball movement leads to a better shooting performance, “Were concentrating on making the extra pass, playing as a team.”

Although CJ Thompson’s stat line might not catch many eyes, the freshman’s effort up-and-down the court played a pivotal role in the HC victory.  The freshmen duo, Thompson and Badyrka, would combine to score 16 points off the bench for Holy Cross, compared to Holy Redeemer’s seven bench points in the contest.

“They’re extremely ready,” Callejas said of his two freshmen, “They’re going against kids older than them and they don’t back down.”

After an out-of-this-world first half shooting performance that many expected would be unmatchable, Holy Cross not only duplicated their first half mark but improved upon it as they made 12 of their 19 field-goals (63%) after the halftime break.

Buckets from Matt Lyons, Charlie O’Malley and Mario Matrone to start the third period would give Holy Cross a commanding 20-point lead.  Throughout the second half the Royals would cut the deficit down to 18 points twice, but couldn’t gain more ground as the Crusaders proved to the home crowd that it was their night.

Mike Hughes led all scorers in the contest with 24 points, converting ten of his 13 shot attempts (77%), including draining all three shots from three-point range.  Matt Lyons added an additional 17 points while bringing down eight rebounds in the game.  Mario Matrone balanced out the Holy Cross attack with four field-goals, for nine points, in the contest.  CJ Thompson added seven points off the bench, with his fellow freshmen Adam Badykra scoring three triples off the bench as well.  The Crusaders would have six different players shoot at least 50% efficiently in the contest.

David Popson led the Royals with 12 points, eight of them coming in the final two quarters.  Mark Atherton and George Sabatini finished with 11 points apiece, with both players making an impact on defense as they each came up with two steals.  Brayden Sock finished the game registering seven points and a rejected an HC shot.

Holy Cross will look to carry their hot-shooting effort on the road next week as they travel to face Forest City (Tuesday) and Blue Ridge (Thursday) before they compete in the holiday Lynett Tournament.

The road doesn’t get any easier for Holy Redeemer as they’ll head back home where perennial 6A district contender, Williamsport, will be waiting for them.  The Royals will hope these tough contests prepare them for their upcoming conference schedule when they host Hanover next Friday.

“When we lose on the scoreboard, we’re not losing, we’re either going to win or were going to learn,” Guido said.

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