File photo – Owen Shanahan (3) had another strong game for the Crusaders on Monday night.

The Crusaders’ defense is beginning to find its groove at an opportune time.

On Monday, the St. Bernard’s boys got a key league victory over South Fork, winning 68-54 thanks in large part to their strong defense.

“We executed,” head coach Issac Gildea said. “And we played really good defense.”

The Crusaders, who improved to 2-1 in the Little 4 and 13-5 overall, held the Cubs to just three points in the second quarter and opened up an 11-point lead by halftime.

“Defensively we’re findings ourselves,” Gildea said. “We’re running some stuff that’s working and we were patient.”

Seth Dyer, Drew Vizenor and Owen Shanahan each continued to play a key role for the team

Dyer finished with a team-high 19 points, while Vizenor added 17 points and Shanahan 14.

Aidan Dorsch, who chipped in seven points, also was instrumental in the win, along with teammate Demetrius Rawson.

The in-form Tommy Rotbergs continued to impress for the Cubs, who suffered their first league loss and and are now 2-1 in the Little 4 and 10-2 overall.

Rotbergs scored a game-high 20 points, including 10 in the first quarter.

John Harding added 15 points in the loss, and Kobe Gellman had nine points.