Quick hits from the FACS Crusaders’ win over St. Benedict
FACS opened up its 2020 season with a 64-48 win at St. Benedict.
Here are the quick hits from Tuesday night’s matchup.
Josh Ward looked solid in the season opener.
Senior guard Josh Ward came to play Tuesday night. He was vocal and disruptive on the defensive end. On the offensive end, he was knocking down 15-foot jump shots, moving well without the basketball – especially when a play was designed for him to score – and taking a lot of great shots. Ward was getting into the lane and finishing strong.
Before the 2020 season arrived, head coach Dee Wilkes mentioned to me that Ward will be the player to watch out for. Well, so far, it’s true. Ward finished the night with 17 points.
Daniel Egbuniwe Daniel Egbuniwe 6'6" | SF FACS | 2022 State TN didn’t need to take a jump shot against St. Benedict.
The junior wing was the biggest player on the floor Tuesday night. At 6-foot-7, Egbuniwe has good post moves, has improved at putting the basketball on the floor and has improved on his aggressive finishes at the rim. Unlike last season, Egbuniwe didn’t take a lot of jump shots. Coach Wilkes wanted Egbuniwe to score in the post. He did a lot of that throughout the game. Egbuniwe also finished with dunks on the fast break. He led the team with 21 points. Egbuniwe, along with Ward, had to be huge for the Crusaders Tuesday night since the team was missing junior guard Corey Savage and two key players (Elijah Rodgers and Preston Jones) off the bench.
Junior guard Kobe Wilkes Kobe Wilkes 6'0" | PG FACS | 2022 State TN was dealing with an ankle injury, but managed to play the entire game. He finished with 15 points.
Junior guard TJ Thomas added nine points.
The Eagles didn’t quit.
St. Benedict doesn’t know how to quit. This team refuses to quit. FACS jumped out to a 20-6 lead in the first quarter. In the second quarter, the Eagles got within 31-22, thanks to their defense and ability to make shots. Freshman guard Marcus Gray led the surge. He had eight points in the second quarter and scored four more in the third quarter to get the team within one (35-34) before Ward’s five points put the Crusaders up 44-34.
St. Benedict was in this game without its best player, Bobby Westbrooks. The outcome could have been different if he had played. As I said last week, the Eagles are going to be competitive with Westbrooks, Gray, Adam Barbieri and Gary Bair.
Barbieri had 12 points Tuesday night.