St. John’s HS vs. Cross HS
Wednesday evening’s Region 8-A get-together between the Trojans and Islanders was critical in terms of possibly determining what the 1A tournament landscape could resemble when the official SCHSL brackets are released this weekend. The top four teams in the region…
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Continue ReadingWednesday evening’s Region 8-A get-together between the Trojans and Islanders was critical in terms of possibly determining what the 1A tournament landscape could resemble when the official SCHSL brackets are released this weekend.
The top four teams in the region will earn playoff bids and both St. John’s and Cross entered Wednesday evening’s matchup with identical 7-6 region records – tied for fourth.
The Islanders claimed a close victory last month on their home court over the Trojans, but the result was different on Wednesday evening in what was the regular season finale for both teams. Cross defeated St. John’s with the final score being 55-40.
Regional Ramifications
The Trojans’ eighth region win of the 2022-23 season puts Cross in the top four in its region.
January 17
When these two teams first exchanged pleasantries this season at St. John’s HS, the matchup was a bit more offensively dictated than Wednesday evening’s game. The victor was also different as the Islanders earned a 67-64 victory.
First Half Stalemate
In the early going, both teams traded the first six points of the game but St. John’s had a slight advantage when the first quarter was in the books. The Islanders led by a score of 12-10 as eight minutes had elapsed.
The evenly matched nature of the contest continued into the second quarter. Cross managed to outscore St. John’s 10-7. The Trojans had a lead of 20-19 as both teams entered their respective locker rooms for halftime.
Second Half Surge
Coming out of halftime, the Trojans displayed a more crisp, efficient offensive output than was the case in either of the first two quarters. Cross outscored St. John’s 21-8 and assumed a 41-27 advantage with one quarter left.
The Islanders managed to cut its deficit to single digits in the fourth quarter before Cross successfully stopped any comeback effort mounted by St. John’s. The Trojans got sweet revenge for the mid-January tilt with a 15-point win to claim fourth place in Region 8-A.
Standing Tall
Leading the way for the Trojans was Caden Ramsey, a freshman big. No. 15 had himself a 15-point outing and a major element in his success was what he was able to get accomplished close to the rim.
No. 1 In Islanders’ Hearts
St. John’s efforts were led by a senior on what was senior night at Cross HS. Crystian Birrueta finished with 10 points. He had the Islanders’ lone 3-pointer of the game and made three free throws.
Up Next…
With both teams’ regular seasons in the books, attention turns to what the 1A bracket will look like when unveiled this weekend.
Cross suffered a first-round playoff exit at the hands of Southside Christian in last year’s tournament. St. John’s did not qualify.