Crusaders take down South Range

March 6, 2019 at 12:07a.m.

Raiders’ season ends

against familiar foe

SALEM

South Range’s annual tournament meeting against Canton Central Catholic is all too familiar for the Raiders.

So is how it ends.

The Crusaders ended the Raiders’ season for the third year in a row in the Salem Division III boys basketball district tournament, this time winning 59-44 in a semifinal Tuesday night.

It’s an agonizing scenario that has become all too familiar for head coach John Cullen’s Raiders.

Angelo Milini scored a game-high 18 points, Dylan Johnson added 12 for third-seeded Canton Central Catholic.

“I really didn’t know what we were in the first half,” Cullen said. “Our schedule should have prepared us for this but tonight, they wanted the ball a little more than we did. They had a lot of second-chance points and while we got inside in the first half, we just didn’t convert.

“This team really improved from the beginning of the season to the end, we just took two steps back tonight.”

Milini scored seven of his points in the opening period to stake the Crusaders (16-8) to a 16-6 lead after the first eight minutes of action.

Five more points by Milini in the second quarter and a stingy defense that held second-seeded South Range (17-7) scoreless for 8:26 and a mere four points in the second session upped the lead to 28-10 at the intermission.

Of the Crusaders’ eight losses this season, seven have come to Division I opponents and a Division II foe, going undefeated against all Division III teams.

“Our schedule really prepares for the tournament,” Crusaders head coach Matt Creamer said. “We play nine Division I teams and seven Division II opponents and as an independent in Stark County, no one plays Division I’s like us. It really helps to prepare us for the tournament.

“We rebounded well and played excellent defense tonight, but we need to improve a bit before Friday’s championship game with Mogadore.”

Creamer is in his sixth season at the helm of the Crusaders, leading his team to their fourth district title game over that span. They’ve won three district championships.

The Cardinals got seven points by Chris Brooks in the third period but trailed 39-21 heading to the final frame.

Irons scored 10 of his team high 14 points in the final frame, but it wasn’t enough as the Raiders’ season and five-game win streak came to a screeching halt.

“They set the pace right from the outset. We came out flat and that hurt us,” noted Irons. “The hole was a little too deep to overcome. We had a great group of seniors, a great group of players. This is a season that I will never forget.”

Raiders guard Jaxon Anderson ends his scholastic career with a seven-point effort.

“This was tough and heartbreaking for me, losing the last three years to the same team. It hurts,” Anderson added. “I’ll always remember this season and what a great group of teammates they were.”

The Crusaders held a 35-24 rebound advantage with Johnson hauling in a game-high 12 for the game’s only double-double.

Irons finished with five caroms for the Raiders.