GRENADA — St. Joseph Catholic School senior CJ Moore scored a 17 points Wednesday to lead his team to a 53-45 victory over Canton Academy Wednesday night in the quarterfinals of the MAIS Class 4A State Basketball Tournament at Kirk Academy.
“We didn’t play our best game, and we came out kind of lethargic. But, when you are in the state tournament it doesn’t matter how you play, it only matters that you win and advance,” St. Joseph Coach James Hunter said.
Senior Donnie Smith added 12 points for the Fighting Irish and eighth grader Cordario Calvin scored 11 points.
The Fighting Irish (18-3) will play Winona Christian Friday night at 6 p.m. in the semifinals of the tournament. Friday will mark the fourth time this season St. Joseph has played the Winona Christian Stars. Winona Christian defeated the Fighting Irish 62-43 on Jan. 5, but the Fighting Irish have beaten Winona Christian the last two times they have played, including a 60-55 victory over the Stars in the district tournament on Feb. 4.
“Winona Christian is a very tough team. They have the size to match up against us. They shoot pretty well from the outside, and they have a big kid in the middle who seems to score at will,” Coach Hunter said.
The Fighting Irish are hoping to play in their fourth straight state championship game in the last four years. This year’s Class 4A Boys State Title Game is scheduled for 7:15 p.m. Saturday night. St. Joseph is also hoping to win its third state championship in the last four years.
