Men's Basketball Come Out Strong Again At Second Home Game

The Crusaders won what became a rather one sided game on Tuesday night, defeating the Warriors of Appalachian Bible College with a final score of 91-63. Junior Stephen Foeckler led the charge with 24 points, while freshman John Echaniz chipped in 15 points, senior Jake Wagner put in 12 points, and freshman Pete Day and Shane McCrum added 9 points each. McCrum also lead the team with 8 rebounds, Echaniz grabbed down 6, and a few other players had 4 rebounds each.  

In the first half, the Crusaders pushed the ball up court and moved the ball well on 
offense, resulting in many lay-ins or rhythm jump shots to push the halftime lead to 52-37.  
Defensively, the Crusaders had their hands full with Appalachian’s quick point guard, a couple jump shooters, and their 6’8” center, but the Crusaders defense hung tight and kept battling to get through screens and take Appalachian out of rhythm.

In the second half, the Crusaders came out a bit flat needed to find their rhythm on 
offense and pick up their intensity on defense.  After a timeout, the Crusaders did pick up the 
energy and intensity on defense and settled into an offensive rhythm, passing, driving, and 
breaking down Appalachian’s defense for high percentage shots.  For the game, Foeckler and fellow junior Joseph Pennefather contributed 4 assists each while others on the team contributed two to three assists each.  

While the Crusaders opened the game with a defensive tenacity that they have not 
displayed all season, they struggled to keep the defensive tenacity at that high level throughout the entirety of the game.  The team, majority of which are underclassmen, continue to improve and become more comfortable with each other on the court while working through Coach Quest’s offensive and defensive schemes. 

The Crusaders take their 2-3 record into Thursday’s game versus the skilled and well 
coached Wildcats of Randolph College on Thursday, November 19 at 5pm at Crusader 
Gymnasium.