The Waratah Youth League Crusaders held their final home games for the season on Saturday, July 29, with mixed results.
Tipping things off first were the women, who faced off against the Maitland Mustangs – a team they had defeated convincingly back in April.
Things started off well with co-captains Bronte Moore and Sammi McCubbin getting things going for the Crusaders out of the gate.
But in the second quarter Maitland began pulling away thanks to some well-placed shots from deep by Monique Rudder and Shannon Burton, with the score 27-35 going into half time.
The Crusaders corrected themselves on defense and began closing out, allowing just one three from Maitland in the third quarter.
The teams were neck and neck with the Crusaders in the lead and looking set for the win with just three minutes remaining.
But the Mustangs scored at the 11th hour, snatching the victory 59-55.
The Crusaders remain tied for second spot on the table, with a chance to steal the minor premiership still on the cards as they take on the top-seeded Manly Sea Eagles in the final round of the regular season on August 5.
The men started out red hot right off the tip against the Hornsby Ku-ring-gai Spiders in the final matchup for the evening.
Back-to-back triples from team veterans Jamal Shoaib and Isaac Wooller gave the Crusaders a double-digit lead just five minutes into the game which set the tone for the rest of the match.
The Crusaders’ energy on both ends of the floor was unmatched.
By the time the Spiders found their rhythm on offence, the lead was already out of hand.
The score was 49-24 coming out of the half.
The Crusaders gave their rookies a chance to shine and the crowd enjoyed some flashy finishes including a pair of dunks from Haidyn Gunderson who contributed nine points off the bench.
It was the veteran trio of Shoaib, Wooller and captain Alex Bailey who held things down for the Crusaders, contributing a combined 51 points to the 93-50 victory.
Nothing changes for the youth men on the ladder – they retain their third spot heading into their final match of the regular season this Saturday, August 5.
They will travel to Blacktown to take on the Storm with first and second spots still up for grabs if they win.
It could also be a potentially historic night for Bailey, who sits on 468 points for the season – just 32 points shy of cracking 500 points.
This would be an incredibly rare feat as he would join some elite company but also a particularly difficult task as the Storm is among the most athletic teams in the league and especially dangerous in front of its home crowd.
The youth women travel to North Sydney to take on the Bears in their second last game of the regular season and while a win is not crucial, the game will be a true test of readiness with the Bears quite possibly being a playoffs matchup in the weeks to come.
Stefan Kataric