Basketball Game Preview: Monroe-Woodbury Crusaders vs. Wallkill Panthers

The Monroe-Woodbury Crusaders will face off against the Wallkill Panthers at 12:00 p.m. on Saturday.

Two weeks ago, Monroe-Woodbury came up short against Pine Bush and fell 61-49. The Crusaders have struggled against the Bushmen recently, as the game was their third consecutive lost matchup.

Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Wallkill). They enjoyed a cozy 74-58 victory over Highland on Saturday. The score was all tied up 28-28 at the break, but the Panthers were the better team in the second half.

Monroe-Woodbury better keep an eye on Zoe Mesuch. She was instrumental in Wallkill's win, shooting 7-for-13 from beyond the arc and dropping a double-double on 38 points and 12 boards. The contest was Mesuch's eighth in a row with at least ten points. Gabriella Gualtiere was another key player, going 5 for 6 on her way to 10 points and six rebounds.

Wallkill smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 13 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least nine offensive rebounds in three consecutive matchups.

The win got Wallkill back to even at 2-2. As for Monroe-Woodbury, they now have a losing record at 2-3.

Monroe-Woodbury came up short against Wallkill in their previous meeting back in January of 2023, falling 49-38. Can Monroe-Woodbury avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.