Three seasons ago in 2011, Canisius won the Manhattan Cup with a deep squad that received contributions from a talented trio of sophomores – Adam Weir, Aaron White, and Matt MacDonald. Throughout that season, each of them showed flashes and had people wondering aloud about how good the Crudsaders could be in a couple of years. Fast forward two seasons and we have our answer. They're good enough to do what no team since 2006 has been able to do – finish the reular season in the Monsignor Martin Association without a loss.
Adam Weir scored nine of his game-high 21 points in the fourth quarter, leading Canisius past St. Joe's, 72-60, at the Koessler Center on Saturday afternoon. For the Crusaders, it was an largely significant victory on several levels. The Canisius accomplishments include:
– Winning eight of its last 10 games vs. St. Joe's
– First regular season sweep over rival St. Joe's since 2010
– A fourth straight Monsignor Martin Association league title
– The first undefeated regular season in the MMA since St. Joe's did it in 2006
– Securing the top seed in the Manhattan Cup playoffs for a third straight season
The Crusaders got off to an early 10-point advantage, 16-6, after a 13-2 run that spanned much of the first quarter. The early push included 3-pointers from Josh Huffman and Matt MacDonald, and a three-point play from Adam Weir. St. Joe's responded with six straight points late in the quarter to dig out of an early hole and trail 19-15 after one quarter.
Canisius built its largest lead of the game in the second quarter, when two 3-pointers from point guard Aaron White swished through the nets and served as bookends to a 17-4 Crusader scoring spurt that pushed the score to 36-19. Once again, the Marauders were able to respond to the deficit they faced before the game completely got away. Dylan Hall scored eight points during a 13-4 push by St. Joe's to finish the half and give his team some hope heading in to intermission, trailing 40-32.
The Marauders picked up where they left off coming out of the break, thanks to the Mark Cerza and Dan Maher show. The inside duo accounted for 13 of the first 15 points St. Joe's tallied to start the half, and brought them all the way back. With 3:43 remaining in the third quarter, the Marauders owned their first lead, 47-46, since the game was just two minutes old. It would be the last advantage they'd enjoy on the afternoon.
Another long-range bust from White put Canisius back up by two, before Jaylen Morris scored to knot the game at 49 apiece. Ryan Richards scored and converted a three-point play for Canisius to put them up by three, until Louie Oliveri's bucket made it 52-51 heading toward the final stanza. But White was there to once again squelch the spirits of the Marauders as he dashed from one end of the court to the other, scored, and converted a three-point play to end the quarter and put Canisius up 55-51.
Five straight points from Hall in the fourth quarter pulled the Marauders within a basket, 60-58, with 3:41 remaining in the contest. That was when Weir took over a close game late to ensure his team's victory. The Canisius College bound senior took a pass on a backdoor cut to score and convert the "And 1", which sparked a 12-2 Crusader push to close out their rivals late in the game. Weir scored six of his team's final 12 points.
White totaled 19 points in one of his best games ever in a Canisius uniform, and MacDonald added 10 points in the victory.
Dylan Hall was kid clutch for the Marauders with 19 points, while Louie Oliveri scored 13 points, and Jaylen Morris netted 11 points.
-centercourt
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