Without giving Hayes a chance to catch their breath, Stepinac extended their lead to as much as 17 points, with Ben Lyttle contributing six and Josiah Jervis in for five more in the second quarter. At the half, Stepinac led 41-30.

As the third quarter began,the teams traded buckets and team fouls. Hayes began to regain some of their composure, but despite contributions from the Cardinals’ Ian Jackson and Elijah Moore, Stepinac held the lead, 56-49.

With 4:19 in the game, Stepinac remained in front, 60-53. Less than a minute later, Hayes had pulled to within four, until a Danny Carbuccia three-pointer gave the Crusaders a seven-point lead. Adam Nije, who scored 17 points overall, got hot in the fourth, and helpd the Cardinals pull within three with 1:21 to go.

Fland led all scoring with 30, followed by Carbuccia with 13 points and five rebounds, and Lyttle with 10 points for Stepinac. Future University of North Carolina player Ian Jackson, Adam Nije, and Elijah Moore all had 18 for Hayes.