Chris Baccaro had just knocked down a 3-point basket in the corner that would have pulled the Wallkill boys’ basketball team to within seven points of the Monroe-Woodbury Crusaders.

Up to that point, it had taken an 8-0 run to get the Panthers back to within 10 points, but Mason Ondreyko was called for an offensive foul, negating the basket, keeping Monroe-Woodbury’s lead at 10 points.

Liam Gallagher answered with a three, and the Panthers never got as close again as the Crusaders clinched the Glen McGinnis Holiday tournament championship with a 52-37 win over the Panthers on Wednesday afternoon at Cornwall High School.

“That was a huge swing,” Wallkill coach Hunter Andrews said. “Then, literally on the next possession, an offensive rebound for Monroe, and the made three. So that’s six points just laying there.”

The Panthers had a hard time keeping up with the Crusaders all game, especially starting in the second quarter when the Crusaders ran off to a 30-16 lead at halftime. While the Crusaders were getting into a groove, the Panthers were struggling.

Jayden Desir was named the tournament’s most valuable player after scoring a game-high 13 points. Chris Pearson was named to the all-tournament team.

“Monroe is super-athletic, super-skilled and big,” Andrews said. “They took us out of what we wanted to do offensively. We played solid on the defensive side, which we’ve done all year, but it just wasn’t enough.”

Even though Baccaro scored a team-high 11 points, many of his first-half shots fell short. Sean Perrin scored 10 points for the Panthers and was named to the all-tournament team. Perrin is the only Panther to have much in-game experience heading into this season, after starting half of 2021-22 for the Panthers.

“He’s given us everything,” Andrews said. “Offensively he’s poised. When he’s gone to the rim, he’s in control and very efficient.”

The Panthers played what Andrews called “a tough defensive” game to open the tournament the previous day, beating the host Cornwall Dragons, 51-41. Baccaro led the Panthers with 17 points and Perrin added 14.

It had been the Panthers sixth straight win to start the season, with the Crusaders handing them their first loss on Wednesday.

“There’s a lot to learn from every game, but I think a loss helps you reflect a little bit more,” Andrews said. “We need to be tougher on the defensive side, which has been the best side of the ball that we played on all season. Knowing our strengths, as far as rebounding and ball pressure, we need to do that more consistently against a team like Monroe.”

The Panthers six-straight season opening wins include a buzzer-beater win against Chester Academy in Monticello and victories over divisional opponents, FDR and Saugerties. They are scheduled to face Our Lady of Lourdes on Friday to open the 2023 portion of their schedule.

“They’ve really committed to each other and they’re all in to winning and they love playing with each other,” Andrews said. “As a coach, you couldn’t ask for more. To be 6-1 going into the new year, it’s not a bad start.”