BANGOR – Not since his son’s sophomore year at Bangor High School can Rams head coach Roger Reed recall so emphatic a loss.

The John Bapst Crusaders were running on maximum horsepower as they beat the Rams in every phase of the game and handed them maybe their worst loss in 11 years with a 59-39 boys basketball triumph at the Bangor Auditorium Tuesday night.

“They shot extremely well. I don’t know what their percentage was, but it was pretty high and we didn’t shoot well all night,” said Reed. “They moved the ball very well in addition to shooting it well and controlled the game.”

From the opening tip.

Bapst, now 8-9, never trailed as it took a 2-0 lead and bumped that up to 14-6 in the first seven minutes. A 17-1 run that lasted most of the second quarter made it 34-12 and all but sealed the victory – even before halftime. Any lingering doubt was quickly erased as the Crusaders stormed out of the locker room and outscored the Rams 10-2 to open the second half.

“This was a 20-point loss for us and that was a kind 20 points,” Reed said flatly.

John Bapst shot a sizzling 77.8 percent from the field in the third quarter en route to 52.3 percent for the game. As good as it was going for Bapst, it couldn’t have been much worse for the 11-4 Rams, who shot 20 percent in the first half, 15.8 percent (3-for-19) in the third quarter, and 22.7 percent for the game.

“Obviously they’re not going to shoot that poorly again, and I’d like to think our defense had a lot to do with that,” said Bapst coach Jason Mills. “We had good pressure and we got out on their shooters. We also did a good job making it tough for their big guys to get touches down low.”

Bapst outrebounded Bangor 26-18 on the defensive boards and 33-30 overall. Despite committing 10 second half turnovers to Bangor’s three, they still won that battle as well with 15 total to Bangor’s 16.

“We turned the ball over and didn’t get any second shots off the boards because they dominated the game inside and out,” Reed said. “Since they were hitting most of their shots, there weren’t many rebounds. Plus they beat us in transition early on.”

Bapst’s extended matchup zone defense and man-to-man mix gave Bangor fits and its flex offense did nothing to hinder the ability of the Crusaders’ guards either score on the break or find the open man down low almost every time.

“We tried to pound it underneath, but all our shots were falling in anyway,” said Bapst senior guard Bryan Snyder, who had 11 of his 14 points in the first half. “That’s as complete a game as we’ve played, although I think we can play a little better.”

Senior forward Zev Myerowitz led the Crusaders with 18 points and six rebounds.

“This team as a whole has just been working to come together. As the season’s progressed, we’ve shown flashes of what we’re capable of,” Myerowitz said. “If we play to our capability, we’re just as good as any team in the league … And today we did that.”

Sophomore forward and Zev’s brother Dan came off the bench to contribute 13 points and 10 boards.

Senior center Derrick Shain came off the bench to lead Bangor’s scorers with 13 points. Guard Buddy Nickerson had 10 points. Zak Ray dished out four assists, but was held to six points.

“We went with a smaller lineup at times due to foul trouble,” said Mills. “When they had their bigger lineup in there, we tried to take advantage of our quickness. We’d penetrate to the basket and force them to either help, where we’d dish it off; or if they don’t help, we go all the way to the hoop.”

CRUSADERS 59, RAMS 39

Bangor (11-4) John Bapst (8-9)

Player G AG F AF TP Player G AG AF TP

Rambo 0 1 0 0 0 Jellison 1 4

Achorn 0 3 0 0 0 Snyder 6 11 14

Ray 2 8 2 4 6 Means 0 0 2 2

Gallant 0 1 0 0 0 Day 1 3 4

Dowe 1 1 0 2 2 Rand 0 1 0 0

Bombardier 0 4 3 4 3 Connole 0 0 0

Prentiss 0 0 0 0 0 Tremble 0 0 0

Nickerson 3 11 3 3 10 D.Myerowitz 6 13

Sutcliffe 0 0 1 4 1 Z.Myerowitz 7 13 4 5 18

Civiello 1 5 0 1 2 Irish 1 2 2

K.Flynn 0 0 0 0 0 Baldus 1 2 2

R.Flynn 1 4 0 0 2 Bromley 0 0 0

Guerette 0 2 0 0 0 Leavitt 0 0 0

Shain 3 4 6 8 13

Totals 11 44 15 26 39 23 44 12 16 59

Bangor 8 12 22 39

John Bapst 14 34 49 59

3-pt. goals: Bangor (2-9): Shain 1-1, Nickerson 1-5, Bombardier 0-1, Ray 0-2; John Bapst (1-4): Snyder 1-2, Z. Myerowitz 0-1, Irish 0-1

Attendance: 800 (est.)

JV: Bangor 57-40