The third quarterfinal matchup of the boys’ 2A championship tournament saw the Salem Academy Crusaders face off against the Regis Rams.
Salem Academy entered as the #3 overall seed and Regis claimed the Central Valley league title and #6 tournament seed.
Despite a valiant effort by Regis, Salem Academy would hold on to win 59-49.
In the first few minutes of the game, the Crusaders jumped out to an 8-0 lead. Just when the game looked out of hand, the Rams went on an 8-0 run of their own to tie the game.
While Salem Academy held an athletic and depth edge over the Rams, the Crusaders’ own mistakes cost them. Regis senior Nick Woods drew multiple charges that helped the Rams build a 5-point lead with 5:22 to go in the second.
But Salem Academy fought back. The Crusaders stopped turning the ball over and reduced their fouling. This allowed them to regain the lead with 3:53 to go in the second quarter.
The critical moment came at the start of the second half.
Salem Academy jumped out on a 7-2 run. Regis was unable to execute on the offensive end, going scoreless for almost 4 minutes of game play.
Although Regis would pull to within 2 points with a minute to go in the third, the Rams would never be able to regain the lead.
Freshman Isaiah Koehnke and senior Tanner Manning kept hopes alive for the Rams. Unfortunately, Regis had no answer for junior Jaren Oglesby and senior John Pass who drained 5 threes and dominated the paint respectively.
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