Crossroads Exacts Sweet Revenge Upon St. Bernard For 2000 Defeat

Patrick Siritara
Special to the Mirror 

   In the semi-final game of the CIF Division IV-A basketball tournament on Friday, February 23, Crossroads School continued its rampage through the competition and exacted retribution on the team that knocked it out of the tournament last year, St. Bernard.
   In a rematch of last year's CIF Division IV-A Southern California Regional Championship, the #1 ranked Crossroads Roadrunners avenged their 2000 loss to St. Bernard in the Division IV CIF Finals with a 64-52 victory.
   Building on an eleven-game winning streak extending from early January, the Roadrunners jumped out to an early lead in the first half and never looked back. 
   On offense, Crossroads set the tone of the game by going to its workhorse, Isiah Fox, early and often. Displaying the skill and class that made him an All-CIF first team selection in the previous year, the 6-10 Fox muscled his way in early for a variety of offensive rebounds and inside baskets. Fox finished the game with 23 points. 
   Crossroads built its early lead with an aggressive half-court trapping defense that rattled St. Bernard for most of the first half. This strategy worked well, as the Roadrunners quickly pressured St. Bernard into errant passes during the first five minutes of the game. 
   The Viking offense never seemed comfortable as they spent a majority of time working to get merely get a shot off. In the instances that St. Bernard managed to break the press, Crossroads' star center, Fox, was there to block any lay-up attempts inside. This trend continued throughout the first half and Crossroads entered the locker room with a 27-18 halftime lead. 
   Entering the third quarter, Crossroads continued its trapping defense harassing St. Bernard into more turnovers. Junior Jordan Rush was especially disruptive as he took full advantage of his athletic ability on the fast break. Rush excelled in the open court game where his vertical leap was on full display for the crowd, and where his speed and leaping advantage led to many drawn fouls and trips to the free throw line. Midway through the third quarter, Crossroads had extended its lead to fifteen. 
   St. Bernard's then started chipping away at the lead. After a timeout, Coach Bob Alaniz substituted incumbent point guard Brandon Brooks for more shooters in an effort to effectively attack the press. 
   "They [Crossroads] were leaving us a lot of open looks," a member of St. Bernard's coaching staff said later, "So we decided to go with the better shooters."
   St. Bernard also started looking for senior forward Donald Penn on every series. Despite giving up five inches to Fox, Penn showed the toughness and power that have made him a division I recruit for football. Penn turned in a workman-like performance using a variety of ball fakes to maneuver for position inside and drawing fouls on the Crossroads' interior players. The combination of Penn inside and defensive pressure on Crossroads outside started to take effect late in the third quarter. Penn's lay-up at the end of the third quarter had cut the lead 44-37. 
   By applying some defensive pressure of their own, St. Bernard became a more inspired team in the fourth quarter, taking advantage of some of Crossroads' turnovers and attacking the press. Playing like a defending champion, St. Bernard continued its comeback. In addition to Penn's post play, senior wing Shawn Gauff exploded in the fourth quarter for nine points. A halftime replacement for Coach Alariz, Gauff single-handedly brought St. Bernard back into the game. He scored seven unanswered points with two pull-up jumpshots and a deep three-pointer to close the score to 48-46 at the 5:21, sending the Viking crowd into euphoria. 
   This was when Crossroads' proved its mettle. With all the momentum shifted towards St. Bernard, Crossroads Coach Darryl Roper challenged his players to meet the Vikings' energy and desire. 
   "We got lazy and tired," Roper said after the game. "When you're tired and don't come out to meet the ball, someone's going to intercept it. So I told our players to step up and play hard."
   Crossroads returned to its successful strategy of running the offense through Isiah Fox. Two consecutive baskets by Fox put the score at 56-46 with 2:47 to play. Crossroads extended its lead after a controversial technical foul was called on St. Bernard Coach Alariz with 2:25 left when he reacted to what he felt was inconsistent officiating. 
Roper didn't think the referees were much of a factor. "I think the referees did a good job," Roper mentioned after the game.
   After St. Bernard's Penn fouled out with 1:55 left in the game, the comeback was no longer a concern and Crossroads' passage into the final round of the Southern Section CIF tournament was sealed.