The Jesuit Crusaders travel to the Chiles Center to take on the red hot Clackamas Cavaliers.
The Crusaders head into the matchup as the ten seed while the Cavaliers are ranked as a two seed according to OSAA. The Crusaders hold a 20-6 overall record while the Cavaliers have a 20-3 record with all three losses coming to out of state teams.
The two teams matched up last year in the Chiles Center, facing off in the quarterfinals and a trip to the state championship on the line. The Cavaliers walked away with the win and finished off their season winning a state championship. With the Jesuit girl’s in the semifinals they finished third in the state finishing their season with a strong win.
The Crusaders go into this game being the underdog having to face five star and number one player in the country according to ESPN and Prospects Nation, Jazzy Davidson. The key to the Crusaders having a strong showing is going to be their defense and if they are able to stop one of the top players in the country.
The Crusaders need to rely heavily on senior post Kendra Hicks. A player that they have relied on all season to do the dirty work down low for them. The senior Nevada commit finished her regular season strong against Westview and Beaverton. Scoring 25+ points and 20+ rebounds in both performances.
The crusaders also have a pretty young core with six sophomores. Amani Lubrano, Sophia Costarella,and Reese Filkins all getting significant playing time and playing big roles for the success of the Crusaders this season.
Head coach Jason Lowrey has plenty of experience playing in big games graduating in 1993 and playing collegiate basketball at Pomona Pitzer and then coaching collegiate basketball for thirteen years before coming to Jesuit.
Keys to the game for the Crusaders are their offensive. They need to be able to move the ball around and get into their high low action so Kendra Hicks can get going early in the game. The young sophomores also need to step up big and continue to knock down big threes throughout the game if they want to keep up with the powerhouse Clackamas offense.
Arguably more important than their offense is going to be their ability to stop the Cavaliers offense. Throughout the Cavaliers league play they have scored 80+ points on over half of their league games.
The Crusaders have the ability to get their revenge from last year and knock out one of the favorites for who will win the whole thing this year. With the experience from head coach Jason Lowrey, senior presence from Kendra Hicks, and young core of Amani Lubrano, Sophia Costarella, and Reese Filkins, the Crusaders have the opportunity to do something special.
The game will take place on Thursday, March 7, 2024 at 8:15 PM at the Chiles Center at the University of Portland.
