(Canisius fans celebrate another victory for the Crusaders / Photo by Elliott Jerge)

 

What a scene at Canisius last night with the Blue Crew out in full force on a Tuesday night.  

 

OK, that picture wasn't from last night.  Full disclosure – I forgot to snap a picture during the game.  The scene at Canisius High School last night was the complete opposite of that picture, mostly empty stands and a good atmosphere if you're looking to concentrate on a term paper.  With the Crusaders coming off the big game with Park and heading into Thursday night's battle of two of the best in the state when Aquinas visits, maybe the fans were saving themselves. But for Walsh, the #2 ranked small school in WNY, it was a big game – and in a losing effort, the Eagles showed why no team from WNY besides Cansisus & Park have been able to beat the tiny private school from Olean.

 

Canisius closed the second half strong and outscored Walsh by 10 points in the third quarter, to earn a 70-55 victory at the Bernard J. Kennedy field House on Tuesday night.  The win extends the Crusaders winning streak against WNY teams to 25 games, and wins against teams from NYS to 21 games.  

 

 "They're a really good team and extremely well coached," Canisius coach Kyle Husband said.  "Andy (Moore) does a terrific job with them, they run their offense better than most teams we'll play all year."

 

For the first 12 minutes of the game, Walsh stood toe-to-toe with the defending Class A Federation Champions and answered everything the Crusaders did with perfectly executed sets and big shots.  There were times in the early going when the Eagles were the aggressors, creating a few turnovers and going strong to the basket, despite being noticeably undersized by comparison to the length of Canisius.

 

During the opening quarter, the lead changed five times and the game was tied three times.  Walsh players move about offensively like they're all tied together – like for every movement one player makes, there's a reaction from another player.  Constant screening and flashing throughout well designed plays would continually result in an open look for the Eagles from the perimeter.  But it's not just the way they execute, these guys can shoot.  Four different Eagles banged 3-pointers in the first quarter, including Adam Moore, who took a feed from Tavien Kemp and drilled it from downtown to give Walsh a four-point advantage late in the opening frame.

 

"They really make it hard on our defense, especially in man, they way they cut, screen, and move is great," said Husband.

 

Moore tied the game, 14-14, from the line to end the opening quarter.  A 3-pointer from Christian Churakos gave Walsh the lead back to begin the 2nd quarter.  The lead changed six more times over the first four minutes of the second quarter, as Moore continued to work hard inside and find his to the charity stripe.  Had more of his shots been falling from the stripe, the game may have been tied at halftime.

 

"I think Moore had more free throws than our team combined," Husband said.  "He's crafty and smart, he does get people up, even though we're long and didn't go for as many pump fakes, he does a really good job of getting in the right cracks & seams and getting people in the air."

 

A traditional three-point play from Kemp on a lightning quick drive past his defender and off-balance finish at the rim, tied the game at 25-25.  From there, Canisius heated up from the perimeter and connected three times from long range over the last three minutes of the half.  Will Atkinson hit a pair during the stretch and Trueheart made the other, as part of an 11-4 finish to the half that gave Canisius a 36-29 lead at halftime.

 

The Crusaders quickly pushed their lead to double figures in the third quarter with a fast start.  Justin Jones (10 points) hit a trey to open the scoring, while Atkinson and Colby Moultrie also got in the act from beyond the arc.  The Canisius defense stepped its tempo up, playing faster and pressing more, allowing just two Walsh field goals in the frame.

 

"We came out with a little more energy in the second half than how we started the game," said Husband.  "We also extended our half court a little bit more and didn't let them get as many open looks – it seemed like every shot they took in the first half went down."

 

Atkinson, who scored a game-high 18 points on six treys, added two more 3-point bombs in the beginning of the fourth quarter for Canisius.  They led by 27 points before subbing out its main rotation midway through the final stanza.  Trueheart finished with 14 points, scored through three quarters, and Moultrie added 13 points in the game.  

 

For Moultrie, who playing his first season at Canisius after transferring from North Tonawanda after his sophomore campaign, his impact on the success of the Crusaders continues to become more noticeable with each game he plays, and he adjusts to a new system and new teammates. 

 

"He played harder, not as tentative, took good shots, pushed the ball, & worked hard on 'D'," Husband said of Moultrie's second half performance.  "He's got so much ability, I think when he lets it go and plays hard, I thought you saw what he could do in the second half."

 

Walsh got a team-high 16 points from Churakos, one of four players to reach double-digit scoring for the Eagles. Moore scored 13 points, Latrell Butler-Kemp added 13 points, and Tavien Kemp chipped in 10 points.

 

Point Totals

Canisius:  Will Atkinson 18, Stafford Trueheart 14, Colby Moultrie 13, Justin Jones 10, Chris Topper 6, Jerimiah Wagstaff 4, Madut Ayiy 2, Charles Hart 2, Patrick Weir 2

Walsh:  Christian Churakos 16, Adam Moore 14, Latrell Butler-Kemp 13, Tavien Kemp 10, Noah Watson 2

 

-centercourt