This week, the SXU Men’s Basketball team continued their hot start to the season. They started on November 13th when they travelled to Palos Heights, Illinois to play the Trinity Christian Trolls. The Cougars entered the game with a 4-1 record, while the Trolls entered the game with a 2-3 record. Saint Xavier got off to a hot start, jumping out to an 11 point lead in the first ten minutes, thanks to an eight point performance from Jack Halverson.
The Trolls tried to fight back, but the Cougars defense continue to shut them down for the rest of the first half, eventually ending it with a six point lead (31-25). The second half started off with the Trolls completely dominating the Cougars and eventually taking a small lead of their own. However, thanks to an 8-0 Cougars run, SXU were able to reclaim a seven point lead. SXU guards Maurice Chambers and Josh Niego led the Cougars offense for the rest of the half, scoring eight and six points respectively. Trinity Christian guard James Pennington tried to lead his team back, scoring eight points, but it was not enough, as the Cougars eventually won out 67-53.
The Cougars improved to 5-1 with the win, while the Trolls fell to 2-4 with the loss. Saint Xavier was led on offense by Jack Halverson, who scored 18 points. Elsewhere, the Cougars were led on defense by Jack Brody, who pulled in 16 rebounds, while scoring 11 points in the process. Saint Xavier next played on November 16th against the Calumet Crimson Wave at the Shannon Center.
The Crimson Wave entered the game with a 2-2 record. The first half started with both teams playing very evenly, but eventually the Cougars were able to pull ahead thanks to great play from Josh Niego and Jack Brody, who scored eight and nine points respectively. The Cougars continued their dominant start for the rest of the first half, eventually ending it with an 11 point lead (43-32).
The second half started off with the Crimson Wave going on a hot streak, which eventually ended with Calumet trailing SXU by only two points. However, from there, the Cougars offense, led by Joshua Evans, who scored eight points, completely dominated the Crimson Wave, out-scoring them 25-10 for the remainder of the second half. The buzzer finally sounded and the Cougars beat the Crimson Wave by a score of 82-65.
Saint Xavier improved to 6-1 with the win, while Calumet fell to 2-3 with the loss. The Cougars were led on offense by Joshua Evans, who scored 19 points. Elsewhere, the Cougars were led on defense by Jack Brody, who pulled in 18 rebounds, while scoring an impressive 18 points. Saint Xavier plays once next week, a Saturday afternoon game against the IU-Northwest RedHawks at the Shannon Center.
The SXU Men’s Basketball team was very impressive this week and if they continue to play at their current level, they should make some noise in the postseason.