On Tuesday, Feb. 3, the No. 8-ranked Jesuit Crusaders face the No. 1-ranked Southridge Skyhawks in the Knight Gym.
Coming off of a five game win streak, the Crusaders have earned big wins including a 60-53 win over West Linn, 70-31 win over Aloha, 76-35 win over Sunset, and 59-39 win over Westview. Last Friday, January 30th, the win streak was broken after a loss to the Beaverton Beavers in a heartbreaking 47-48 thriller.
Southridge on the other hand, was upset by the Westview Wildcats 51-58 in a double overtime thriller, a major upset for the No. 1-ranked team in Oregon who has displayed their potential over teams like Central Catholic and the Rainier Beach Vikings, who have the #1 ranked player in the country, Tyran Stokes.
The Crusaders are looking to get back after their loss and reclaim the momentum they have built throughout the past games by continuing to stay connected on defense as well as trusting each other.
“We just need to stay connected on defense and trust each other. Offensively, we have to stick to what we know and keep doing what has been working,” senior Sam Curvy said.
Over the past few games, the Crusaders have shown their potential with them shooting great, playing lockdown defense, and being able to push the ball efficiently.
In their loss to the No. 2-ranked Central Catholic Rams, Jesuit had trouble scoring with only 2 points in the first quarter. Following this loss, the Crusaders showed immediate improvement, putting up big scores over West Linn, Aloha, and Sunset.
“We have grown together as a band of brothers. We trust in each other to get the job done and the points have started to come naturally,” senior Cole Koopman said.
In their recent loss to Beaverton, the Crusaders started off hot but went silent in the 3rd quarter, unable to score and allowing the Beavers to take the momentum away from them.
Breaking away from the heartbreaking loss, the Crusaders remain confident heading into the big game.
“We are feeling confident heading into the game, we know they are a great team but we are playing our best basketball and are ready for the challenge,” senior Max Sharp added.
The Jesuit men’s basketball team hosts the Southridge Skyhawks this Tuesday at 7 p.m. in the Knight Gym. The game is free to enter with a student ID.
