Yet again, Strake Jesuit's annual Silent Night basketball game did not disappoint Friday night. A great turnout from the Jesuit student section aided their home team in pulling out an 18-point victory over their district opponent Brazoswood. Hot shooting from the Crusaders followed after the students completed their well-loved Silent Night tradition.
As students packed into the stands wearing jerseys from all different professional sports teams -- the theme of the game was also jersey night. They did the opposite of what they usually do -- sat down and remained silent. Once the game tipped off, the student section was still quiet. Jesuit's cheerleaders wouldn't even cheer when a Jesuit player would score a point.
Then finally, when the Crusaders were leading by a score of nine to eight, senior guard Blaine Holbrooke was passed the ball in the corner behind the three-point line. He shot and what followed was pure hype. The student section went wild and began cheering, as their team had surpassed 10 points and made the score 12-8 . The school's famous Silent Night tradition was complete.
The first couple of points scored by both teams in the beginning kept the two teams close, but once Jesuit's student section got loud, the Crusaders were able to pull ahead and keep a steady lead for the entire rest of the game.
Junior guard Edgar Romero of Strake Jesuit led the team in scoring. He had 10 points in the first half, six of which were from beyond the arc and a couple of assists. The play of the game was when Romero dribbled behind the back to escape a defender and then passed the ball inside the paint to sophomore guard Aaron Rucker. Rucker would then lay the ball up as time expired before halftime. Other Jesuit players such as Ryan Chang, Oliver King and Charles Peckham were also successful at knocking down three-point shots in the first half. Jesuit ended the first half leading by a score of 35-24.
The second half was accompanied by more Jesuit players finding ways to score. Rucker and starting guard Luke Thorburn contributed to the Crusaders' increase in their lead as they were able to make small shots. With 1:19 remaining in the third quarter, Romero hit a corner three-pointer to increase Jesuit's lead to 21 points, capping off his night with 18.
Strake Jesuit won the game by a score of 70-52, which improves their record to 6-17. The Fighting Crusaders' student section enjoyed watching a very well-played performance by their school on one of their favorite games of the year.
An away game against George Ranch this upcoming Tuesday will be coach Dominic Amorosa and the Crusader's next focus, as George Ranch is only one game away from first place in 6A District 23.