Front Royal, VA – The Lady Crusaders defeated the Central Penn Knights 74-45 in the ESAC Conference Championship on February 29, ending their season with a stellar 23-5 record.
Both teams came out with intensity to start the game. Regina Bonvissuto (Junior/Kingston Springs, TN) put the Crusaders on the board first with a 3-pointer. However, the Knights scored a quick bucket on their next possession. Catherine Thomas (Junior/Corpus Christi, TX) then hit a 3-pointer, assisted by Miranda Keller (Junior/Harrisburg, PA), to put the Crusaders up 6-2. The Knights then went on an 8-0 run, which Bonvissuto ended with another three. Mary Pennefather (Freshman/Manassas, VA) also hit a triple, putting the Crusaders up 12-10. The Crusaders continued to connect on offense, going on a 12-6 run to end the first quarter up 24-16.
The Knights opened up the second quarter with 6-0 run, cutting the Crusader lead to two. Thomas, assisted by Pennefather, hit a jump shot to give Christendom some breathing room. The Knights again cut the lead to 2, but Libby Kolesar (Freshman/Cranberry, PA) hit a midrange jumper for the Crusaders. Then, Keller, assisted by Bonvissuto, made a beautiful fast break layup to further extend Christendom's lead. The Crusaders continued to fight hard for the rest of the quarter, and Bonvissuto hit a 3-pointer on their last possession to send Christendom into halftime up 38-28.
The Crusaders came out of halftime hot, with an 8-0 run to begin the third quarter. Their run began with a layup by Keller, followed by a 3-pointer by Pennefather. Christendom played excellent defense to force a shot-clock violation by the Knights, and then Bonvissuto stayed hot as she nailed her fourth three of the game. The Crusaders continued to play well on both sides of the court and ended the third quarter up 55-37. Christendom played another excellent fourth quarter, outscoring the Knights 19-9 to earn the 74-45 victory.
Pennefather had an amazing triple-double, with 15 points, 13 rebounds, and 13 assists. Thomas led the Crusaders in scoring, notching a double-double of 22 points and 15 rebounds. Bonvissuto had an excellent game, shooting over 50% from behind the arc and scoring 18 points, along with 4 assists. Keller also had a double-double, scoring 13 points and pulling down 13 rebounds.
With this victory, the Lady Crusaders became ESAC champs and look forward to competing in the USCAA National Tournament where they are ranked #7 overall.