When I went down to interview Canisius head coach Kyle Husband following his Crusaders' complete dismantling of Nichols, I didn't even bother to ask him if this was a statement game, or revenge from last season's season-ending loss to the Vikings in the Manhattan Cup semifinals. I got the answer to that question before the game's first quarter ended. Then it was re-affirmed in the second quarter. When the teams came out of the locker room after halftime, the Crusaders were still seething. From the opening shot – a 3-pointer buried by LaTerrance Reed – to the final horn to end the game, Canisius was on a mission. Between the utter domination on the court and the Blue Crew (CHS student section) responding to every chant from Gang Green (Nichols student section) with "this is our house", the only thing they didn't do to send a message was rip the Vikings' Manhattan Cup Championship banner from the wall before they left.
Reed scored 23 of his game-high 24 points in the first half, which included a three-point play and five 3-pointers (one became a four-point play), as Canisius built a 47-20 halftime lead, en route to a 74-36 victory over the host Vikings.
"Tempo was the key word throughout practice yesterday", Husband said following the game. "Getting out in passing lanes, play tough defensively, and keep attacking offensively".
That's a subtle way of saying what the packed crowd at Nichols witnessed. Canisius gave up no easy baskets in the first half and allowed just four field goals, forcing the Vikings to earn the majority of their first half points from the charity stripe, while completely disrupting their offense. Then on the other end of the court, Canisius moved the ball swiftly and decisively, and seemed to attack with a purpose.
"It helps when you make shots and we did that early. They were open looks too, we passed the ball really well", Husband said.
Justin Jones scored 10 of his 13 points in the first half, with eight of those coming in the second quarter, as he attacked the basket and embodied the Crusader energy that was so tempo-setting throughout. Josh Huffman added 12 points for Canisius with three field goals, including a trey, and went five of six from the stripe. Another Crusader who stood out all game was Madut Ayiy. The junior provides Canisius with length inside, but last night at Nichols, he was far more than a tall player in the post. Ayiy ran the floor well to stay in constant good position defensively and was key to limiting the effectiveness of the bigs from Nichols. He blocked shots, altered countless others, kept the boards clean, and even showed efficiency on the offensive end when given the opportunity.
"He just keeps coming along, it was the best game he's played and I think he's going to be really good" Husband said of Ayiy.
Coming off a pair of losses at the Georgetown Tournament in NYC and another at the hands of Troy, this type of win may be just what Canisius needed as we get into the heart of high school basketball season here in WNY. The Crusaders have the first of two rivalry games coming up this Saturday at St. Joe's, before hosting WNY's top ranked small school, Park, on Tuesday. It's also worth noting that the inspired performance last night came without the services of TJ Wheatley, who is expected back soon.
For Nichols, last night was just not its night. To put it in perspective, only one player, Chris Miner, scored more than one field goal in the game. I don't think last night's loss will define the Vikings, and I certainly don't think we saw the best they had to offer. They will get 10 days off to disect what needs to change for the defending Manhattan Cup champs, before visiting St. Joe's on January 16th. The rematch between the Vikings and Crusaders is set for Tuesday, February 3rd at Canisius.
Miner finished the game with 17 points for Nichols.
-centercourt
Leave a Reply