RECAP: Southridge SkyHawks Defeat the Jesuit Crusaders 59-51.
On Tuesday night, the Jesuit Crusaders, ranked #16, took on #9 ranked Southridge on our home court, just coming up short with a final score of 51-59.
The game started off slow, with missed shots from both teams in the first couple possessions. Jesuit was the first to get points on the board after a lay up from senior Audrey Bayless.
Going into the game, Audrey Bayless said
“I felt confident and excited to play, I knew it was going to be a close game and we had to give it our all.”
After going back and forth for the lead in the first quarter, it ended with a tie of 11-11. Both teams were fighting hard to take the game into their own hands.
During the second quarter, the Skyhawks slightly pulled ahead nearing the end of the quarter with a score of 25-16. Jesuit did not put their heads down though. They finished all their chances in the last few minutes, making it a 5 point game before the half ended.
“We were getting all the shots we wanted offensively which gave us a lot of confidence. We agreed as a team we needed to be more sound defensively so that was our focus going into the second half.” Junior and starter Sophia Costarella said at halftime.
The Crusaders came out fierce in the second half tying the game 32-32. The energy carried throughout the third quarter as Jesuit worked to keep it a one possession game. With one minute remaining in the third quarter, Jesuit fouled, leading the Skyhawks to pull ahead after making both their free throws.
During most of the fourth quarter, the game stayed close. With less than a minute left again, Southridge put buckets down and secured their win.
“It was a tough loss, but it showed our team what we need to work on in order to reach our goals for the rest of the metro.” Junior and starter Reese Filkins said.
