By Rocco Carioscia ‘26
Crusader basketball kicked off their season strong by finishing 3-1 and taking third place in the 22nd annual Vandemerkt Thanksgiving Classic.
The Crusaders battled a tough Thornwood team to open up the tournament. Senior Joe Niego put up 17 points and hit a huge game-tying three to send the game to overtime. Despite the dramatic late game heroics, the Crusaders ultimately fell short in overtime 80-75. Juniors Aiden Henderson and Kevin Salkauskas added 12 and 13 respectively off the bench for the Crusaders.
The Crusaders bounced back quickly, defeating Zion Benton 58-41 just two days later. Senior Zach Grabowski finished with 19 points after knocking down three three-pointers in the first quarter. Grabowski said, “My only thought going into the second game is we were going to win. After having a rough first game, I knew we had to respond so we did.”
Another tough team awaited the Crusaders after the holiday. They would face Joliet West in a physical game, picking up the victory 51-45. Junior Uriah Davis had a solid game, adding 9 points and playing well defensively.
In the third place game, the Crusaders would take on their first CCL opponent in Fenwick. They got off to a hot start and never let up, winning 46-28. Senior Charlie Wizgird scored 9 points in the win. Wizgird said, “We have big shoes to fill. I’ve been waiting for this chance to play. I don’t want to take this opportunity for granted.”
Joe Niego and Zach Grabowski were both members of the All-Tournament Team.
Joe Niego said, “There’s been a lot of outside noise … , but that doesn’t faze us and it motivates us and drives us to work harder because we know how great we can be, and we know that when we’re at our best, we can beat anyone. I’ve been waiting for this for a while, and I can’t wait to go out there with my teammates and prove everyone wrong and show everyone who we are.”
This hungry Crusader team tips off regular season play against De La Salle and Montini.
