When Alejandro Rodriguez nailed this 3-pointer seconds into Tuesday’s game against Trinity Catholic few could have imagined what was about to unfold at Greenwich High School.
The Crusaders entered the gym as the No. 7 ranked team in the New Haven Register poll and were coming off an impressive win over Archbishop Molloy at the Northeast Christmas Classic in Bridgeport.
Greenwich entered the gym with a solid five man starting team but not nearly as polished as the Crusaders team featuring players that are considered stars by many state high school basketball aficionados.
But it was the Cardinals that executed their game plan, the Cardinals who hit the floor for loose balls and the Cardinals who hit tough shots in critical spots and the Crusaders who looked flustered.
And it was Greenwich that came away with a wild 43-41 win, setting off a wild celebration at center court after the final buzzer sounded.
Greenwich won this game with its defense and discipline, holding the Crusaders high powered offense to 41 points while committing a minimal amount of turnovers.
One sour note was Greenwich center Sem Kroon, who left midway through the third quarter with an ankle sprain.
Kroon was in obvious pain and was visibly upset at not being able to continue playing in what was probably his best game to date as he battled 7-foot-1 Pascal Chukwu down low.
This huge win, and it was one of the biggest in recent school history, will be meaningless if the Cardinals do not respond with a win Thursday against Wilton.
