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| Holy Cross fans had reason to be fired up after their Crusaders closed Wednesday’s Class L quarterfinal with a 20-0 run. |
How did the top-seeded Holy Cross girls basketball team respond to adversity in its Class L quarterfinal game against No. 8 Guilford on Tuesday night?
With a 20-0 run to end the game, of course. Why is that even a question?
Wait, WHAT???
Tied at 49 in the fourth quarter, the Crusaders embarked on a 20-0 jaw-dropper of a spurt to knock off the Indians 69-49 and secure a berth in the semifinals. Holy Cross has a big challenge ahead of it Friday against No. 4 Capital Prep. The Crusaders and Trailblazers tip at 6 p.m. at Wallingford’s Sheehan High School, but more on that at a later time.
Holy Cross worked from the outside and the inside to finish off Guilford. There were BIG 3-pointers from Gabby Goldman and Century McCartney during the 20-0 run. Goldman’s trey extended the Crusader lead to 54-49, then McCartney moved it to 57-49 with her shot.
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| Meah Austin (14) floats a pass inside to Aiyana Ward (32). |
After corralling a loose ball, Holy Cross put on an awesome display of passing and teamwork that resulted in a Aiyana Ward lay-up and a 59-49 score.
Idalis Miranda then drove from the left wing and banked in a shot for a 61-49 lead. Guilford called timeout with 3:35 to play, but the only thing that stopped Holy Cross was the clock running out. Meah Austin put in two more points inside, and the Crusaders ran away with the game from there.
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| Idalis Miranda knocks down a third quarter 3-pointer. |
Miranda, McCartney and Austin all had 14 points while Ward put in 11 in a very balanced offensive attack. Austin and Ward were relentless hitting the backboards for Holy Cross. Miranda came up with some big shots, including a huge 3-pointer near the end of the third quarter. Hannah Brown lost the ball, but got it back under control and found Miranda on the left wing.
Holy Cross led 11-4 after the first quarter and stretched the lead to 23-13 at one point in the second quarter. Guilford closed the half with a 10-3 run, however, and trailed 25-23 at halftime.
Whenever the Crusaders tried to put the Indians away, the tough SCC foe responded. The teams went back and forth in the final seconds of the third quarter. Ward had a steal and a basket for a 43-41 Holy Cross lead, but Guilford senior captain Camryn Craig drove and scored to tie the game at 43. After a long pass toward the Crusader bench, Miranda got the ball at the top of the key and found a wide open McCartney underneath. McCartney’s basket just before the third quarter horn put Holy Cross ahead 45-43.
The teams battled until the 49-49 tie, then the Crusaders went on their incredible run.
