LANSDALE, PA - The Lansdale Catholic Crusaders hosted the La Salle Explorers on Tuesday night to kick off Catholic League play for both teams.
Both Lansdale and La Salle gave it their all as they fought to start their league record on a high note. The first quarter showed intense competition between the two teams with the Explorers consistently having a small but steady lead with the Crusaders not far behind. The first quarter ended with a close score of 12-14, in La Salle’s favor.
The intensity continued in the second quarter, which found the Crusaders facing foul trouble. At halftime, the score was 26-34 giving the Explorers a solid 8-point lead.
The Crusaders began to fall behind as the second half began. The Explorers managed to keep a 10-point lead throughout the third quarter. La Salle’s impressive ball movement across the court lead to many easy shots for the Explorers. The results of the fourth quarter were no different.
La Salle managed to increase their lead against Lansdale Catholic, resulting in a final score of 66-45. With the win, La Salle improves to 7-3 overall and garnered their first league victory of the 2017 season.
“We were able to concentrate on the defensive end of the floor. We have been asking our kids to pay more attention to the other team’s best players,” said La Salle head coach, Joe Dempsey, when asked about what attributed to the Explorer’s victory.
As far as his team goals for the remainder of the season, Dempsey already has eyes set on the playoffs.
“We’re just hoping to make the Catholic League Playoffs for the 11th consecutive year. After that, we’ll take it one game at a time,” said Dempsey. “After Wood and Neumann-Goretti, I’d like to think that we’ll be in the mix.”
Lansdale Catholic vs. La Salle
Despite their loss, head coach of Lansdale Catholic, Joe Corbett, has high hopes for the rest of the season and is aware of what his team needs to work on going forward.
“Our goal is simple. To improve everyday as a team. We have a lot to work on, but we will keep working hard to get better,” said Corbett.
Looking Ahead: La Salle will host Monsignor Bonner-Archbishop Prendergast on January 6th at 7 p.m. Lansdale Catholic will be traveling to Bishop McDevitt on January 6th to try and gain their first league win of the season.