Moeller Basketball Pushes into Playoffs

Your Archbishop Moeller Crusader’s basketball team is on the verge of making a big playoff run this year!

Their last regular season game is Friday, February 10th at Elder. If Moeller beats Elder, and La Salle loses to St. Xavier this Friday, the Crusaders will be GCL champions. The Crusaders roll into Friday’s game with a 15-6 record and 3-2 record in conference play. They are looking to finish hot rolling into post season play.

Moeller is led by Junior, AJ McBride, Senior, Donovan Mukes, and Senior, Grant Smethwick. McBride is a rising star in Ohio, already picking up offers from Ohio, NKU, Radford, and St Francis, among others. He is a slashing scorer and leads the team, averaging 9.7 points a game and 5 rebounds to boot.

Donovan Mukes is a three-year varsity player who has always been a big contributor to the program.

Donovan Mukes (Left) and Grant Smethwick (Right) holding up championship trophy down in Atlanta, Georgia.

Mukes averages 8.2 points a game shooting, 44% from the field with 3 rebounds to add to that. Smethwick is an underrated guard who can shoot the long ball effortlessly. He averages 8 points a game, shooting 44% from the 3-point line. These are just a few players who contribute to the success of this Moeller team. Players like Kingston Land, Nick Williams, Eric Mahaffey, and Kyle Havens are a few other names that bring the team success as well.

I got to follow up with Donovan Mukes about the playoff run they are about to make. He was very intent on the focus of the team and how they will get through this tournament successfully. “Going into the tournament we now know what we need to do to be great. I feel like our chemistry just gets better and better as weeks pass” Mukes said. “That’s not just because we play basketball every day. Time outside of the court brings us together in a way that no other team does. I feel like us knowing we have each other’s backs through thick and thin will really help us showcase our talents when we make this tourney run.”

The boys go into the playoffs as the number 3 seed facing off against Harrison (No. 29). The Crusaders hope to go into the playoffs with strong momentum and hope to get some key wins down the stretch.

Good luck to the team as they head into playoff season!