The Crusaders led 55-54 with 1:21 to go. Two free throws by Holy Cross. Two free throws by Lehigh. Two more from Holy Cross. It was 59-56 with 26 seconds to go. The nine-seed in the league held off Lehigh for a record-breaking win. After a season of losing on the road, the Holy Cross Men's Basketball team, under Coach Bill Carmody, won four straight road games to win the Patriot League championship.
As a member of the College of the Holy Cross Pep Band, I had the opportunity to travel with the basketball team and the cheerleaders to the NCAA games. On the afternoon of Monday, March 14, the men's basketball team, accompanied by coaches, staff, cheerleaders, and the band boarded a chartered plane to Dayton, Ohio.
We arrived in Dayton Monday evening, greeted by the hotel staff, our fight song, and basketball-decorated cookies. The band and cheerleaders spent Tuesday and Wednesday morning hanging out in Dayton while the team practiced and prepared for a Wednesday night game. The atmosphere in the hotel was exciting and the TV announcers were evenly split about who would win the basketball game.
Wednesday afternoon, the cheerleaders and band stood in the lobby of the hotel, dressed in their uniforms, ready to cheer on the team. "Chu Chu Rah Rah" echoed through the halls of the hotel as the team boarded the bus. It was finally time for the game: Holy Cross versus Southern.
It was the most exciting basketball game I have ever been to. The band sat at the end, behind the hoop, yelling as loud as we could. Several of us lost our voices by the time the game was over. In the first half, Holy Cross was up by as much as 12. Holy Cross stayed on top for most of the game, with Southern slowly catching up and tying the game with 1:24 left. The atmosphere was nerve-wracking. The cheerleaders and band cheered even louder, praying that Holy Cross could keep up the momentum and come away with a win.
A key three-pointer from Robert Champion and some well-placed free throws secured a 59-55 win for Holy Cross, making this their first tournament win in 63 years. Robert Champion and Anthony Thompson had 19 and 12 points respectively, to help secure a Crusader win. With that, Holy Cross officially became part of the March Madness bracket.
CBS News talked to students on campus at Holy Cross and watched the crowds cheer when the team won. I have never seen a more excited crowd of Holy Cross students than at that game. The band, cheerleaders, and students that drove out to catch the game filled the whole arena with noise. I can say it was one of my proudest moments as a Holy Cross Student.
That night, the team, the band, and the cheerleaders boarded another flight to Spokane, Washington. This was where round one for Holy Cross would be: against Oregon. A 16-seed against a 1-seed seemed to have a predictable outcome, but the Crusaders took to the court for one last game of the season.
Holy Cross took a hard loss, ending the game 91-52. It was simple as this: the team was just out-manned. Oregon took more shots, made more 3-pointers, and came out fast, taking the lead early. Despite that, the team fought hard and Robert Champion came out with 22 points in the game, more than any of the Oregon players.
It was a tough match. In the scheme of things, Holy Cross won the Patriot League with a losing record and won a tournament game for the first time since 1953 and got a lot of air time. The team had fun getting a chance to travel to Spokane, and it was the trip of a lifetime for the cheerleaders and band. I am sure that our basketball team will go into next season with high spirits. This has definitely been a highlight of my Holy Cross experience. Especially after a week like this, I am proud to be a Crusader!
