BUFFALO, N.Y. - Rivals Canisius and St. Joe's will meet for the first time this season as the Marauders host the Crusaders on Friday night.
Canisius (10-4, 4-0) is the top ranked large school in Western New York, while St. Joe's (14-2, 4-0) is ranked third. The Marauders hope to earn some more respect with a win against their arch rivals.
"We've been working hard and we're not getting a lot of respect," said St. Joe's guard Kyle Briggs. "We go out to everybody and prove to them that we are the best team around Western New York. We just got to go out and play. They are a great team and we just got to play our best."
The Crusaders are coming off a convincing win against Cathedral Prep out of Erie. "I think this is our best basketball right now," said Canisius guard Matt Hart.
Hart believes that the Crusaders will continue their strong play against the Marauders. "I think we're going to prove tomorrow that we should be Western New York's number one team."
St. Joe's also notched an impressive win last weekend, beating Aquinas out of Rochester. With both teams playing so well, it adds some extra intensity to the rivalry. "It's always a really important game and our guys are ready for it and we have a chance to do something special, " said St. Joe's head coach Mark Simon.
"If one team was one and the other team was 30 it would still be a great match-up," said Canisius head coach Kyle Husband. "But to have two teams in the top three, it couldn't get any better."
Tip-off is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. Friday at St. Joseph's Collegiate Institute.
For more high school sports coverage check out wny.highschoolsports.net.
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