The Spire

Jack Faggiano ’27

Staff Writer

It’s almost that time of year. The Patriot League tournament is about a week away, and both the men and women’s basketball teams will have the opportunity to clinch a trip to March Madness. The women’s team knocked off Boston University for the title last season, but the men’s team hasn’t won since 2016. 

The women’s team, led by coach Maureen Magarity, sits alone at the top of the Patriot League standings at 10-5 in the conference and 16-10 overall. With just a few games left, they’re hoping to hold onto the first seed, which would give them home court advantage throughout the Patriot League tournament. Considering the team is 11-2 at home, getting every tournament game in the Hart Center would give them a tremendous edge. Senior Bronagh Power-Cassidy has been the leader of this team. She has played unselfishly and consistently throughout the season, averaging 15.4 points and 5 rebounds per game. Power-Cassidy is an elite scorer, but she never forces shots. Her mature style of play, and her court vision allows for her teammates to thrive. She also prides herself in rebounding, ranking third on the team in boards per game. 

Speaking of rebounding, sophomore Simone Foreman is a beast on the glass in addition to being the team’s most intimidating defender. Seeing a massive increase in her minutes this season, she has improved significantly in her stats across the board. Many have referred to her as the heart and soul of this talented team. Senior Cara McCormack has also had an incredible showing in her final campaign, averaging a career high in points, assists, and rebounds. She has been an extremely reliable three-point shooter this season at just over thirty percent. Despite being one of the smallest players on the court, McCormack hustles to get every loose ball and in her last two games has recorded 19 rebounds. That is an impressive feat for anyone, let alone someone who is 5’3’’. Centers Janelle Allen and Lindsay Berger have been dominant in the post and on the glass. The two upperclassmen pride themselves in playing tough and physical in the paint. 

In the Crusaders’ final three games, they will travel to Colgate and Boston University before coming back to host the final game of the regular season against Lafayette. Boston University and Colgate currently sit at 8-7 in conference play, just two games behind Holy Cross, so both these games should be a good test for the Crusaders. If they can hold onto that top spot, they could potentially host the championship game, which would be an electric atmosphere at the Hart Center.

For the men’s basketball team, it’s been a bit of a different story, but there’s still a slim chance they can get a bye for the first round for the first time in six years. While it has been a less-than-ideal first season on the hill for head coach Dave Paulsen at 6-10 in the conference and 9-20 overall, the young talent on this team has looked very promising. The roster has seven freshmen: Will Batchelder, AJ Wills, Joe Nugent, Khalil Singleton, Deandre Williams, Declan Ryan, and Declan McIntyre. These guys have given us a reason to be excited about where the program is headed over the next few years. 

We all know what Joe Octave, Bo Montgomery, and Caleb Kenney are capable of. Octave is a shifty guard who has continued to show that he can give you twenty points on any given night. Caleb Kenney has taken a massive leap from last season, averaging 11.5 points and 6.5 rebounds per game. He has been on a tear recently, coming off a game against Bucknell where he had 25 points and 11 rebounds. Bo Montgomery is starting to heat up, coming off his two best games of the season, in which he had 23 points, 12 rebounds, and 7 assists against Bucknell and 21 points, 8 rebounds, a steal, and a block against Navy. 

Despite the record, this team has shown they can compete with anyone, beating Georgetown and American University in what were their two biggest wins of their season. Although the odds are stacked against the Crusaders in the Patriot League tournament, crazier things have happened. We’ll be looking forward to seeing if the boys can make a little noise next week.

Copy edited by Lauren Backstrom