When the CIF boys’ basketball playoffs began Friday, February 16, Crossroads Coach Kevin Brown stressed strong defense and a balanced attack.
He got what he asked for as five Roadrunners scored in double figures and a tenacious defense led to a 72-45 win at Workman High.
The win gave Crossroads its 17th win in Brown’s first season, an improvement of 13 victories over last year’s record.
“We didn’t press them. We just played solid man-to-man defense,” said Brown.
The victory was impressive for the third place team in the Delphic League.
Senior Michael Ojo had 17 points and 10 rebounds. Chris Allen scored 14, William Polano and Conrad Liebowitz 12 and Merrick Ross 10.
The next opponent is third-seeded La Canada, which has a 25-2 record and has more size than Crossroads, which is seeded 10th.
“It’ll be quite a challenge, but if we’re going to do well in this division we’ll have to compete with teams of that caliber,” said Brown.