Aimee Dilger | Times Leader Darius Washington (24) passes the ball over Holy Cross' Masen Suhadolnik (42) and Billy Trainor (34) on Wednesday night at Wilkes University.
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redeemer2 redeemer3WILKES-BARRE — As Holy Redeemer warmed up Wednesday night, a piece was noticeably missing. A big piece.

A piece that if the Royals had perhaps could have made the difference.

With Redeemer’s 6-foot-7 center John Carr out with an illness, Holy Cross knew where to attack. It took some time, but the Crusaders finally exploited Redeemer inside for a 51-44 victory in a District 2 Class 2A semifinal game.

Third-seeded Holy Cross (20-5) will play fifth-seeded Mid Valley (22-4) for the championship on Saturday at a site and time to be determined. Both teams clinched state playoff berths. Second-seeded Redeemer (18-7) will play ninth-seeded Riverside (15-10) for third place on Saturday and a place in the state playoffs.

“I think we’ll be ready,” Redeemer senior guard Darius Washington said. “I mean, our season is on the line. We’ve been playing for our season every night since we lost those two games early in the season. We’ll be ready and I think John will be ready to come back by then.”

Redeemer had won 14 in a row coming into Wednesday, the longest streak in school history since the 2009-10 squad won 16 consecutive games. While the Royals’ guard trio received plenty of credit for the run, Carr played his part as a strong presence in the paint. But a stomach bug bit him too hard and he couldn’t play.

“He wasn’t in school today,” Redeemer coach Paul Guido said. “He tried to get here for the game, but couldn’t make it. I feel terrible for him. He’s very upset about it.

“That’s a kid that has been a starter for us every game all year. He hasn’t missed a game. We had to adapt. But obviously, we don’t have anyone on our team like him.”

Holy Cross had to adapt as well, tinkering with the initial game plan. The Crusaders began getting some production inside midway through the second quarter to erase a 18-13 Redeemer lead, the Royals’ biggest of the game.

The Crusaders finished the third quarter with a flurry, scoring seven consecutive points. All three buckets came inside, with Brenden Leese powering in the lane for the final two baskets and a 36-30 advantage.

“Offensively, we took advantage of the low post with Carr out,” Holy Cross coach Al Callejas said. “We were finishing some shots.”

Redeemer lived on the perimeter in the first half, with guard Jerry Busch hitting three of the team’s six 3-pointers. Fellow guard Len Radziak, though, was Holy Cross’ main concern. His ability to penetrate led to a kickout pass and catch-and-shoot 3-pointers by Sal Aiello for a 24-19 lead.

“In the second half, we did a nice job defensively,” Callejas said. “We did a nice job in shutting down Radziak because he was hurting us with his penetrating and shooting.”

Holy Cross ended the second quarter with five consecutive points, the final three on a 3-pointer just before the buzzer by Rob Torre, as the teams went into the locker room tied 24-24.

The Crusaders steered the game for a good part of the final two quarters. Redeemer’s last lead was 30-29 on a drive by Washington at 2:57 of the third. Holy Cross’ Billy Trainor answered with a rebound basket and ensuing free throw to give the Crusaders the lead for good.

NOTES: The two schools were formed for the 2007-08 school year as part of the local Catholic school mergers. … Holy Cross and Holy Redeemer have played every season except the first one. Wednesday was the first time the teams played in the postseason. … Holy Cross leads the series 6-2 and has won the last five, including a 66-36 win on Dec. 12.

 

Holy Cross has played for the D2-2A championship every year of its existence except the 2010-11 season. Riverside defeated Meyers 49-36 for the title that season. The Crusaders qualified for the state playoffs by defeating Hanover Area 63-43 in the third-place game. … The Crusaders have won four D2-2A championships.

 

If Redeemer defeats Riverside for third place, it will qualify for the state tournament for the first time since the 2010-11 season. The Royals won the D2-3A championship that season. … Holy Cross will play Mid Valley for a fourth time this season in the title game. Holy Cross has defeated the Spartans twice. … Many fans grumbled about the lack of parking available at Wilkes University. The game was the second of a doubleheader.

 

District 2 Class 2A Semifinals

Holy Cross 51, Holy Redeemer 44

HOLY CROSS (51) — Tim Krupski 3 3-5 9, Brenden Leese 9 5-5 23, Billy Trainor 2 4-4 8, Rob Torre 2 4-6 9, Mason Suhadolnik 1 0-0 2, Bailey Simrell 0 0-0 0, Nick Vinansky 0 0-0 0. Totals 17 16-20 51.

 

HOLY REDEEMER (44) — Justin Renfer 2 0-0 4, Len Radziak 4 0-0 10, Jerry Busch 3 2-2 11, Darius Washington 5 5-5 16, Sal Aiello 1 0-0 3, Luke Nealon 0 0-0 0, Zach Brennan 0 0-0 0. Totals 15 7-7 44.

 

Holy Cross`11`13`12`15`-`51

 

Holy Redeemer`13`11`6`14`—`44

 

Three-point goals — HC 1 (Torre); HR 7 (Radziak 2, Busch 3, Washington, Aiello).