Preview: Monsignor Scanlan Crusaders vs. Archbishop Stepinac Crusaders
Monsignor Scanlan is 2-8 against Archbishop Stepinac since December of 2018 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Tuesday. The Monsignor Scanlan Crusaders will look to defend their home court against the Archbishop Stepinac Crusaders at 6:00 p.m. Each of these teams will be fighting to keep a win streak alive as Monsignor Scanlan comes in on four and Archbishop Stepinac on six.
Last Friday, Monsignor Scanlan really took it to Bishop Loughlin for the full four quarters, racking up a 82-42 win at home. The game was pretty much decided by the half, when the score had already reached 46-26.
Meanwhile, even though St. Peter's scored an imposing 65 points on Sunday, Archbishop Stepinac still came out on top. Archbishop Stepinac took their matchup against St. Peter's 78-65. Given Archbishop Stepinac's advantage in MaxPreps' New York basketball rankings (they are ranked first, while St. Peter's is ranked 37th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Braylan Ritvo was his usual excellent self, scoring 20 points along with seven rebounds and two blocks. He is on a roll when it comes to points, as he's now scored 15 or more in the last five games he's played. Another player making a difference was Danny Carbuccia, who scored 15 points along with seven rebounds and six assists.
Monsignor Scanlan's victory ended a three-game drought at home and bumped them up to 5-3. As for Archbishop Stepinac, their win was their fifth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 12-3.
Monsignor Scanlan lost to Archbishop Stepinac at home by a decisive 81-65 margin in their previous matchup back in February of 2023. Can Monsignor Scanlan avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
