New Orleans Area Report: Crusaders, Wolves in final

By Roger Glynn
Times Picayune
Staff writer

Brother Martin made 12 of 14 free throws over the final 2:34 to defeat Fontainebleau 45-33 in the semifinal round of the St. Paul's Tournament. The Crusaders advanced to the final where they will face host St. Paul's. The Crusaders forced 24 turnovers and held the Bulldogs to 32 percent from the field.

"We felt like we had to match the intensity of Fontainebleau" Crusaders Coach Scott Thompson said. "They are a good team and very well coached."


Schane Rilleux led the Crusaders with 15 points and made seven of eight free throws in the fourth quarter. Patrick Swilling added 12 points.  Richard Bienvenu led the Bulldogs with 19 points and connected on 5 3-pointers. Brother Martin (3-1) went on an 11-2 run in the first 5:50, capitalizing on six turnovers. Fontainebleau (3-1) went on a 5-0 run to cut the deficit to 11-7 at the end of the first quarter.

Myron Chapman's basket with 1.5 seconds remaining in the second quarter gave the Crusaders a 17-12 halftime lead.  Fontainebleau was pressured into 14 first-half turnovers and shot 4-of-18 from the field. Brother Martin hit eight of 23 first-half shots and had nine turnovers.

ST. PAUL'S 61, McDONOGH 42:

The Wolves shot 61 percent from the field to advance to final of their tournament where they will face Brother Martin in the championship game.  St. Paul's (2-1) never trailed, and the game was tied once -- at 10 with 2:27 to go in the first quarter. The Wolves went on a 10-0 run over the next 3:37, and extending the lead to 35-19 at halftime. In the first half, the Wolves shot 62 percent and had only three turnovers.

"We played hard man to man defense" said St. Paul's Coach Phil Williams. "We knew McDonogh was going to try to pressure us in the second half."

McDonogh (0-4) closed the gap to 42-34 with 1:23 remaining in the third quarter. But a 9-1 run over the next 4:14 increased the lead to 51-35 with 5:09 remaining. Jared Buhler led the Wolves with 14 points. Nicholas Porter led the Trojans with 12 points on four 3-pointers.

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