The Canisius Crusaders waltzed into their match Saturday with two straight wins but they left with three. They strolled past McQuaid Jesuit with points to spare, taking the game 62-48. Given Canisius' advantage in MaxPreps' New York basketball rankings (they are ranked 17th, while McQuaid Jesuit is ranked 324th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Canisius' success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Nick Purdie led the charge by scoring 16 points along with three steals. The match was Purdie's fourth in a row with at least ten points. Another player making a difference was Patrick Cullinan, who scored 14 points along with six rebounds.
Canisius' win bumped their record up to 8-2. As for McQuaid Jesuit, they are on a four-game losing streak that has dropped them down to 3-6.
Both squads will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. Canisius will square off against St. Mary's at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday. Hopefully St. Mary's focused on turnovers this week since the team gave up 19 on Saturday. As for McQuaid Jesuit, they will head out on the road to face off against Edison Tech at 6:15 p.m. on Wednesday. One thing working in Edison Tech's favor is that they have posted big point totals in their last five games.
