Crusaders fall in close Class B final

GLENS FALLS — After 26 games this season, Catholic Central boys’ basketball coach Guy DiBacco thought he had seen it all, but Westhill showed him something new in the Class B state championship game Sunday at Cool Insuring Arena.

“That was the most physical on-ball defense we’ve seen all year,” DiBacco said after his Crusaders dropped a 66-61 verdict in their first appearance in a state final.

He had nothing but praise for the victorious Warriors.

“It’s hard to defend that hard for that long,” he said. “We knew they were fast, but you can’t judge speed on tape.”

For Westhill (Section III), located in Syracuse, it was its sixth state championship, including four in the past eight title games. Westhill will next face Poly Prep of Brooklyn in next weekend’s Federation Tournament at a site to be determined in the Capital Region. Three Section II teams — Ichabod Crane, Glens Falls and Mekeel Christian — had won the past three state Class B titles.

Westhill used an aggressive, in-your-face defense and a patient team offense to post Sunday’s victory. Both were led by point guard Luke Gilmartin, who continually harassed Catholic Central star Darien Moore and made him work hard for every point he scored, as well as directing his team’s efficient offense, which specialized in backdoor and give-and-go passing.

Gilmartin, who received the Class B sportsmanship award, scored just six points Sunday (he had 16 in Saturday’s semifinal win over Newark), but his presence was felt throughout the game by Catholic Central.

“(Westhill) was a physical team starting with the point guard (Gilmartin), disrupting everything we did,” DiBacco said.

After Moore scored the game’s opening basket, the Crusaders never led again. The teams were tied at 6 midway through the first period, but Westhill scored the next seven points, forcing Catholic Central to play catch-up the rest of the way.

Westhill’s largest advantage was 12 points late in the third period, but behind Moore’s scoring, the Crusaders clawed back to within 58-56 with 1:12 remaining. However, Westhill connected on 10 of 12 free throws in the closing minute to clinch the game.

Moore led Catholic Central with 29 points, including 23 in the second half. Sei’Mir Roberson, who paced the Crusaders in their Saturday semifinal win over Southampton, scored 13 points, but managed just six points in the first 27 minutes.

The Westhill defense held the normally sharpshooting Crusaders to a 33 percent shooting performance in the first half, including 0-for-8 from 3-point range.

Westhill received 18 points from both Omar Richardson and Shawn Mayes, whiles Kameron Landon added 16. Mayes was named the Class B MVP, with Moore, Roberson, Southampton’s Naevon Williams, and Newark’s Kellen Foster rounding out the all-tournament team.

For Catholic Central, which ended its last season with a one-point loss to eventual state champion Ichabod Crane in the sectional final, the future looks bright. Moore, Roberson and Qwameik Smith, who led the Crusaders with seven rebounds Sunday, are all freshmen, while Xavyjon Arroyo, who hit big 3-point shots in both the semifinal and championship games, is an eighth-grader.