(Justin Jones finishes an open look under the basket for Canisius)
To modify a quote from the great Marv Levy, and apply it to high school basketball in WNY last night - when it's too cold for everyone else, it's just right for Canisius & Timon. On a typically cold night in Buffalo, when the entire region cancelled school & athletic contests, the two Monsignor Martin foes forged ahead with their scheduled duel, and heated things up South Buffalo.
Stafford Trueheart scored 26 points, grabbed 12 rebounds, and took matters into his own hands in the crucial final minutes, leading the Crusaders to a 73-66 victory at Timon. The win improves Canisius to 11-0 in the MMA, now just two games away from completing league play unscathed for a third straight season.
Out of all the competitive league games the Crusaders have played this season, last night's win at Timon was the most they've been pushed by a MMA team.
"That's a really good basketball team and they keep getting better", Canisius coach Kyle Husband said.
In a good old fashioned dog fight, the teams took turns going at each other for three quarters, with the lead changing 14 times, while being tied another seven times. The intensity on the court was matched by the students bunched up near each end line representing the two schools, particularly Timon's student section, many of which were draped in sheets as part of a toga theme. A near full auditorium at Timon made plenty of noise, with fans for both teams having plenty to cheer about.
"This might be the best atmosphere in WNY", Husband said. "Some people love it, some people hate it. I love it".
In the fourth quarter, Canisius built the largest lead either team enjoyed on the evening, a 57-49 advantage with 6:17 remaining. That's when the stars came out.
The first player to step up was the Tigers' Derick Simpson. Already sitting on 18 points in the game, Simpson scored the next six points to get his team back within two, 57-55, near the five minute mark. As the clock ticked under three minutes left in the game, Timon got a pair of free throws from sophomore Joe Harrison, tying things up at 61-61. It would be the last stand for the Tigers.
Trueheart took his turn to shine when his team needed him most, scoring eight of his 26 points over the game's final 2:50, converting timely buckets in the paint and sinking his free throws. Canisius closed the game with a 12-5 spurt to seal the win.
"Stafford's played probably five games now where he's really taken that next step, and he did that again tonight", said Husband.
LaTerrance Reed finished with 12 points in the win for Canisius, while Josh Huffman and Justin Jones each scored 10 points.
Simpson ended the evening with a game-high 28 points for Timon, with 13 of those coming in the final stanza. Harrison added 16 points for the Tigers.
-centercourt
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