The Crespi Celts had already proven themselves in the regular season, and didn't miss a beat now that it's playoff time. They strolled past Maranatha with points to spare on Wednesday, taking the game 59-40. Given Crespi's advantage in MaxPreps' California basketball rankings (they are ranked 23rd, while Maranatha is ranked 173rd), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Leading Crespi to victory were Peyton White and Joe Sterling. White scored 17 points along with seven rebounds and two steals, while Sterling scored 20 points along with three steals. Sterling is on a roll when it comes to points, as he's now scored 17 or more in the last six games he's played. Drew Fisher was another key contributor, scoring eight points along with eight rebounds.
Maranatha lost despite a true team effort on the offense, the best among them being Dylan Khatchikian, who scored seven points along with three steals. The team also got some help courtesy of Maddox Kiyohara, who scored nine points.
Crespi pushed their record up to 24-7 with that victory, which was their third straight at home. As for Maranatha, they have been struggling recently as they've lost four of their last five matchups, which put a noticeable dent in their 17-10 record this season.
Crespi will square off against Great Oak at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Great Oak knows how to get points on the board -- the squad has finished with flashy point totals in its past seven games -- so hopefully Crespi likes a good challenge. Maranatha does not have any more games scheduled as of now.
