This Friday, January 9th, the #10 ranked Jesuit Crusaders plan to defend the Knight Gym against the #4 ranked Central Catholic Rams.
With a recent blowout win over the Redmond Panthers and a sloppy Les Schwab Invitational (LSI) performance, the Crusaders are looking to beat the Rams after defeating them in their last matchup in the 2025 OSAA men’s basketball quarterfinal.
On the other hand, the Rams played well at LSI, beating #6 ranked Tualatin and only losing to the 8th ranked team in the nation, the Columbus Explorers, by 7. The Rams also destroyed #2 Southridge at LSI by 19 after losing to them earlier in the season.
The Crusaders are looking to control and capitalize on their offensive possessions after a rough offensive game and 39-46 loss to the Oregon City Pioneers at LSI.
“We had trouble playing together offensively and had trouble trusting each other here and there but I know we have learned and grown since the tournament so now we know what we need to do against Central,” Senior Sam Curvy said.
The Crusaders struggled on the offensive floor against Oregon City. With a lead at half, the Crusaders would be overtaken after only scoring 9 points in the second half of the game.
Following the loss to Oregon City, the Crusaders finished the LSI consolation bracket with 2 consecutive wins over Canby and Gresham. After the tournament, the Crusaders hosted the Redmond Panthers and showed pure domination, beating them 78-38 in the Knight Gym.
“We put in more stuff offensively and have been working hard to make sure we are making the right play every time down the floor,” said senior Nick Zervis.
With noticeable improvements and a 3 game winning streak, the Crusaders are going into their next matchup with confidence and determination to defeat the school’s long-time rival.
“We know it’s going to be a tough game because Central has a talented team, but we’re focused on ourselves and playing our best basketball for 32 minutes. When we do that it’s hard for anyone in this state to beat us” Senior Ryan Barone said.
The Jesuit men’s basketball team hosts the Central Catholic Rams this Friday at 7pm in the Knight Gym. The Jesuit women’s basketball team also faces the Rams in the knight gym at 5:30pm right before the men’s game. Both games have free entry with a student ID.
