It took overtime but the John Paul II Crusaders senior boys’ basketball team were able to come away with a title on their home court.
A three-pointer from Grade 10 student Juleus Moosomin was the difference Saturday night as the Crusaders defeated the Humboldt Mohawks by a score of 75-73 to win the John Paul II Collegiate Invitational.
“It was one of those games where it was back and forth right from the start,” Crusaders head coach Shalen Fox said. “We would go out in front and they would charge right back to take the lead.
“I think our overall depth made the difference. Our defence also came up with some key stops on their offence, and that was huge as it allowed us to set up the big three-point shot from Juleus.”
The Crusaders were dominant on their way to the final, as they routed the Maidstone Huskies 72-43 Friday in the quarter-final and followed that up with an 80-30 performance against the Onion Lake Eagles.
“We’ve really started to play as a team as of late,” Fox said. “Instead of relying on our starters, the guys on the bench are stepping up and making shots.
“We’ve started to make shots from the outside, which is really presenting a challenge to the other teams when we come down the court.”
The Crusaders junior boys’ team also took part in the tournament, though they only found out that they would be competing just hours before they took to the court Friday.
“Shalen came up to me around lunchtime and he told me that one of the teams had dropped out,” Crusaders junior boys’ head coach Nate Jurgens said. “He asked me if I wanted to have our young guys fill their place, so I had to do a bit of running around to get everyone there for the games, as they all assumed they would have the weekend off.
“They were all pretty eager to play, and I think the weekend was good for them as they got to play against some tough teams in the senior ranks.”
The junior Crusaders finished the weekend in sixth place, as they lost the consolation final to the Nipawin Bears Saturday.
“Nipawin has some big and strong guys compared to us, but we did a good job of matching up with them and we only lost by a handful of points,” Jurgens said.
Both Crusaders teams will be travelling out of town for tournaments this weekend.
The senior boys will be playing in Lloydminster while the junior boys will take to the court in Meadow Lake.
