Jesuit and Holy Cross to meet in finals of Allstate Sugar Bowl CYO Basketball Tournament

NEW ORLEANS – Jesuit and Holy Cross will play on Saturday at 7 p.m. for the championship of the Allstate Sugar Bowl CYO Basketball Tournament. The championship game, as well as earlier consolation contests, will be played at Jesuit.

Elijah Morgan, a 5-11 senior guard, was the Blue Jays’ leading scorer for the third straight game in the tournament, tallying 22 points in a 59-49 semifinal victory over Slidell. The Tigers were led by 6-4 forward Kolby Warren’s 19 points. Jesuit improved to 7-0 on the year while handing the first loss of the season to Slidell (7-1).

In the second semifinal Holy Cross (5-1) posted a 69-67 win over De La Salle (4-2) as the Cavaliers missed the potential game-tying shot at the buzzer. The Tigers were led by 16 points from 6-4 senior guard Kalil Thomas and 14 each from Tyler Beaver and Jeremy Lindsey. De La Salle was led by 18 points from Abiram Frye.

Jesuit will be looking for its record 12th championship in the event, which is in its 65th year this year. While the Blue Jays have tremendous history, they have been denied the championship trophy since 2009. Holy Cross has won three Allstate Sugar Bowl/CYO titles, but the last came in 1975.

Allstate Sugar Bowl CYO Boys’ Basketball Tournament Semifinal Results, Friday, November 30
Jesuit def. Slidell, 59-49: Elijah Morgan (Jesuit) – 22 pts; Kolby Warren (Slidell) – 19 pts
Holy Cross def. De La Salle, 69-67: Kalil Thomas (Holy Cross) – 16 pts; Abiram Frye (De La Salle) – 18 pts

Allstate Sugar Bowl CYO Boys’ Basketball Tournament Championship, Saturday December 1
Jesuit vs. Holy Cross, 7 p.m. (Jesuit)

Allstate Sugar Bowl CYO Boys’ Basketball Tournament Consolation Games, Saturday December 1
Shaw (Pool A Third Place) vs. St. Stanislaus (Pool B Third Place), 12:45 p.m. (at Jesuit)
St. Thomas Aquinas (Pool C Third Place) vs. Newman (Pool D Third Place), 2:15 p.m. (at Jesuit)
John Curtis (Pool A Second Place) vs. Fontainebleau (Pool B Second Place), 3:45 p.m. (at Jesuit)
Rummel (Pool C Second Place) vs. St. Paul’s (Pool D Second Place), 5:15 p.m. (at Jesuit)

Allstate Sugar Bowl CYO Boys’ Basketball Tournament Results, Thursday, November 29
Slidell def. Shaw, 65-55: Jailen Jones (Slidell) – 14 pts; Christian Jourdain (Shaw) – 22 pts
Fontainebleau def. St. Stanislaus, 62-58: Connor McCormick (Fontainebleau) – 32 pts; Delvin Henry (St. Stanislaus) – 16 pts
De La Salle def. St. Thomas Aquinas, 66-34
Holy Cross def. St. Paul’s, 53-42: Kalil Thomas (Holy Cross) – 19 pts; Ben Seiden (St. Paul’s) – 15 pts

Allstate Sugar Bowl CYO Boys’ Basketball Tournament Results, Wednesday, November 28
Rummel def. St. Thomas Aquinas, 50-36: Garrett Schmidt (Rummel) – 19 pts; Jacob Romero (STAQ) – 10 pts
Slidell def. John Curtis, 73-57: Kolby Warren (Slidell) – 15 pts; Andrew Stagni (Curtis) – 19
Jesuit def. Fontainebleau, 75-42: Elijah Morgan (Jesuit) – 13 pts; Connor McCormick (Fontainebleau) – 14 pts
St. Paul’s def. Newman, 43-38: Evan Seicshnaydre (St. Paul’s) – 16 pts; Javon Ruffin (Newman) – 21 pts

Allstate Sugar Bowl CYO Boys’ Basketball Tournament Results, Tuesday, November 27
Jesuit def. St. Stanislaus, 82-38: Elijah Morgan (Jesuit) – 19 pts; Nour Tayara (St. Stanislaus) – 10 pts
John Curtis def. Shaw, 57-41: Andrew Stagni (Curtis) – 16 pts); Isaiah Crawford (Shaw) – 11 pts
De La Salle def. Rummel, 60-43: Jalen Need (De La Salle) – 15 pts; Garrett Schmidt (Rummel) – 12 pts
Holy Cross def. Newman, 58-38: Tyler Veaver (Holy Cross) – 11 pts; Javon Ruffin (Newman) – 29 pts

St. Paul’s School of Covington won its second CYO Basketball title in three years as it defeated defending tournament champion De La Salle, 46-44, in the 2017 event. St. Paul’s Devonte Allen became the fourth player in the 64 years of the tournament to earn MVP honors twice. He joined Bobby Delpit (St. Aloysius, now Brother Martin, 1950, 1951), Brandon Spann (Jesuit, 1997, 1998) and Craig Victor (St. Augustine, 2010, 2011). Allen, who won the MVP honor in 2015 after hitting the game-winning shot in the title game, scored 23 points in the Wolves’ championship victory.

The tournament is celebrating its 65th year of action this year and has hosted many of the all-time greats in New Orleans prep basketball history.

The Allstate Sugar Bowl has established itself as one of the premier college football bowl games, having hosted 28 national champions, 93 Hall of Fame players, 49 Hall of Fame coaches and 18 Heisman Trophy winners in its 84-year history. The 85th Allstate Sugar Bowl Football Classic, featuring top teams from the Big 12 and the SEC, will be played on January 1, 2019. In addition to football, the Sugar Bowl Committee annually invests over $1.6 million into the community through the hosting and sponsorship of sporting events, awards and clinics. Through these efforts, the organization supports and honors nearly 100,000 student-athletes each year, while injecting over $2.5 billion into the local economy in the last decade. For more information, visit www.AllstateSugarBowl.org.