Holy Cross falls despite strong effort from Emmanuel Doku

By Team Reports Jan 13, 2024, 5:02pm

Recap: Holy Cross Lancers vs. Medford Tech Jaguars

The Holy Cross Lancers lost against the Medford Tech Jaguars back in February of 2023, and unfortunately they wound up with the same result on Tuesday. Holy Cross took a 67-53 bruising from Medford Tech. While losing is never fun, Holy Cross can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' New Jersey basketball rankings (they are ranked 337th, while Medford Tech is ranked 78th).

When it comes to explaining why Holy Cross lost, one person who can't be blamed is Emmanuel Doku. Despite the final result, he dropped a double-double on 25 points and 11 rebounds. Doku is absolutely dominating the rebound category: he's posted at least eight every time he's taken the court this season. Avian Novoa was another key contributor, scoring nine points along with ten rebounds.

Nesta Rice was his usual excellent self, scoring 29 points along with two steals for Medford Tech. As a matter of fact, that's the most points Rice has scored all season. Another player making a difference was Tre Powell, who dropped a double-double on 15 points and ten rebounds.

Holy Cross bumped their record down to 2-5 with that loss, which was their fourth straight on the road dating back to last season. That rough patch can't be blamed on the team's offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 52.0 points per game. As for Medford Tech, their win bumped their record up to 7-1.

Both squads are looking forward to the support of their home crowds in their upcoming games. Holy Cross will take on Burlington City at 5:15 p.m. on Thursday. Burlington City is coming into the game on a three-game losing streak. As for Medford Tech, they will look to defend their home court on Thursday against Northern Burlington at 6:30 p.m. Northern Burlington knows how to get points on the board -- the team has finished with flashy point totals in its past three matchups -- so hopefully Medford Tech likes a good challenge.