The game of the year in Western New York high school boys basketball delivered a frantic overtime, a double-digit fourth quarter comeback and a raucous atmosphere – and ended in the Canisius Crusaders reascending to the throne over their archrival.
In a battle between Western New York’s top two large schools, No. 2 Canisius (22-4) downed No. 1 St. Joe’s (21-4) 51-49 in overtime Saturday night to claim the school’s first Manhattan Cup title in three years at a sold out Koessler Athletic Center.
After falling to Bishop Timon in the championship game the past two seasons, it was an extra gratifying win for Canisius head coach Kyle Husband and the team’s seniors.
“Couple tough ones last couple years, battled hard, but this group of seniors weren’t going to let it go any other way,” Husband said. “All the seniors just stepped up and made a lot of plays to make sure we took care of business.”
It seemed as if the Crusaders would cruise to the title as they held a 45-34 lead just under midway into the fourth quarter and hadn’t trailed since the early second, but the Marauders refused to die.
A Nate Blenman 3-pointer from the top of the key with 35 seconds left in regulation capped off a remarkable comeback and a 15-4 run that tied the game at 49 and sent the St. Joe’s fans into a frenzy. Blenman’s clutch shot was the only field goal of the entire run, as the Marauders went 12-of-14 from the foul line while a full court press suffocated Canisius defensively.
It seemed as though the championship was slipping away from the Crusaders’ grasp. They missed four clutch free throws, lost their top scorer Patrick Cullinan after he fouled out in the final minute and failed to score on a messy final possession that sent the game to overtime.
Despite their sloppy end to regulation, though, they found their composure in a big way in the extra frame.
“We’ve been here, you know, we’ve been in this game before,” Husband said. “They weren’t afraid of the moment. Obviously, that was tough to see that three go in by Nate [Blenman], but guys hung in there.”
Canisius held St. Joe’s scoreless for the entire four-minute frame, and on the same night he surpassed 1,000 career points, senior Nicholas Purdie nailed a floater with 1:28 to play that wound up being the only basket of overtime and eventual game-winner.
“Means a lot to hit 1,000, worked very hard for it, but we got the job done though, that’s what’s even more important,” said Purdie, who led Canisius with 15 points. “We just regrouped, talked in the huddle [heading into overtime] and said ‘Stay true to ourselves.’ Came out even stronger and got it done.”
Trailing 51-49, St. Joe’s had the chance to win or tie the game with 9 seconds to play. Jaymeir Goosby drove hard to the basket but missed his layup, and the follow-up putback wouldn’t fall for the Marauders, sparking a major Canisius celebration and court storm from the Crusader supporters.
“I think we dug ourselves into a hole,” said St. Joe’s head coach Cooper Calzonetti. “Kyle [Husband] did a great job of knowing what we wanted to do and slowing us down. … We didn’t shoot the ball well, and they made more plays than we did. It was just one hell of a game.”
The Marauders’ shooting woes were a significant story in the game, with Blenman’s clutch triple the lone St. Joe’s 3-pointer made on the night as they finished 1-for-17.
Meanwhile, Canisius came out of the gate hot from downtown, banging in six first half 3-pointers en route to a 28-21 halftime lead.
Shutting down St. Joe’s from the outside was a key defensively for the Crusaders, and outside of the Marauders’ late comeback, Canisius was sound on the defensive end all night.
“We worked so hard all year on that end of the floor,” Husband said. “When shots aren’t falling, we can always guard, and today, I think it was a culmination of everything we worked on all season really coming together.”
Cullinan finished with 10 points when he fouled out for Canisius, the same total as his younger brother, Jack. The siblings combined for 10 of the Crusaders’ 12 third quarter points, during which they took their largest lead of the game, 40-28.
Blenman, the Marauder, led all scorers with 17 points in the game, while Goosby chipped in 14 for St. Joe’s.
The Crusaders advance to the CHSAA Class A semifinal, which is slated for 4 p.m. March 7th at Fordham University.
Photo Gallery by Shawn Turri/WNYAthletics
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