LocalSportsJournal.com
Muskegon Catholic’s postseason boys basketball hopes came to a close on Monday with a 71-51 loss to Big Rapids Crossroads Academy in the Class D regional semifinals.
Christian Martinez did all he could in the second half, scoring 16 of his 18 points for MCC, but it was too little, too late for the Crusaders.
Both teams got off to slow starts and MCC trailed 11-7 after the first quarter. Crossroads Academy opened up a lead as large as 17 points in the second quarter before the Crusaders pulled to within 32-22 at halftime and 43-35 after three quarters.
In the fourth, Crossroads poured in 26 points on 14 of 18 shooting from the foul line to seal the win and move on to the regional finals.
“We just struggled to score with their 2-3 zone and in the second quarter they knocked down their 3-pointers and that got them going,” said MCC Coach Lamar Jordan, whose team finished the season with a 9-15 record.
“Christian (Martinez) was more aggressive in the second half and he did a real good job, but we weren’t aggressive enough in the gaps against their zone and settled for 3-point shots too much.”
Nick Morgenstern helped MCC’s third quarter effort, scoring all seven of his points in the quarter. Nate Jones finished with eight points and AJ Johnson chipped in seven.
“Our seniors will be sorely missed next year,” said Jordan, who loses Martinez and five other seniors. “But we’ve been to regionals six years in a row. It’s always great, you reset at tournament time and you always have a chance to take a trip down to the Breslin.”
