Basketball Preview: Catholic Central Crusaders vs. Ichabod Crane Riders
After three games on the road, Catholic Central is heading back home. They will take on the Ichabod Crane Riders at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Catholic Central knows how to get points on the board -- the squad has finished with flashy point totals in its past 17 contests -- so hopefully the Riders like a good challenge.
Catholic Central put the finishing touches on their 12th blowout victory of the season on Friday. Everything went their way against Lansingburgh as Catholic Central made off with a 75-50 win. Given Catholic Central's advantage in MaxPreps' New York basketball rankings (they are ranked seventh, while the Knights are ranked 61st), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Catholic Central got their victory on the backs of several key players, but it was Darien Moore out in front who almost dropped a double-double on 16 points and nine rebounds. Moore hasn't dropped below 16 points for 12 straight games. Another player making a difference was Xavier Pahler, who dropped a double-double on 12 points and ten rebounds.
Meanwhile, Ichabod Crane pushed their score all the way to 58 on Tuesday, but even that wasn't enough to win. They took a 68-58 hit to the loss column at the hands of Schalmont. Ichabod Crane has been going strong on the season, but this is now their second loss in a row.
Catholic Central pushed their record up to 16-1 with that win, which was their seventh straight on the road. As for Ichabod Crane, their loss dropped their record down to 11-5.
Everything went Catholic Central's way against the Riders in their previous matchup back in December of 2023 as the Crusaders made off with a 72-51 win. Will Catholic Central repeat their success, or do the Riders have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
