The girls basketball team used a strong start to overcome a resurgent Ottawa team Tuesday night 47-38.
The Cardinals jumped out to a 16-4 lead after the first quarter, but Ottawa bounced back, keeping it close and keeping the pressure on. After the lead dwindled to 5 with under a minute remaining, sophomore Brynn Deterding iced the win at the free throw line.
“Tonight, I thought we struggled a little bit at some parts,” sophomore Izzy Brunkow said. “We just kind of got unfocused, but we were able to reel it back in and stay with the game.”
Junior Avery Warren said the Cardinals were at their best defensively when they communicated and switched effectively. Despite finding themselves in foul trouble and missing some opportunities on offense, the Cardinals relied on their defense and speed to stay ahead, head coach Brandon Parker said.
“I thought we had some good spurts defensively and offensively for the most part,” Parker said. “But when we were locked in defensively, we made it tough for them. We just had a few breakdowns tonight.”
The Cardinals dug deeper into their bench to help cover for the foul trouble. Sophomores Avery Hemphill and Lori Brooks both played extended minutes at the end of the first half. And freshman Karley Owens came off the bench to help defensively and pick up a couple of big second-half baskets.
“Most coaches on other teams don’t expect our JV players to come in and play strong or put any points up,” Warren said. “But our team being able to do that really shows the diversity and the skill level we have.”
The Cardinals are into their last few weeks of the regular season, with postseason play less than a month away. The team is 13-1 and ranked No. 3 in Class 4A by the Kansas Basketball Coaches Association.
“The big thing is keeping the focus and being able to do our jobs offensively and defensively for 32 minutes,” Parker said. “When we do it for, you know, half the game, it’s pretty good. When we do it three-quarters of the game, it’s really good. And, you know, four quarters, we’re kind of waiting to see what we can do with that. But that’s our biggest thing, is really locking in and being able to maintain that focus for 32 minutes.”
The Cardinals boys basketball team fell to Ottawa Tuesday night.
The Cardinals started strong but hot Ottawa shooting helped the Cyclones build a big lead before halftime. The Cardinals kept it within reach for much of the game, but Ottawa pulled away to win 60-43.
Ottawa is undefeated and ranked No. 1 in Class 4A by the Kansas Basketball Coaches Association.
Both teams will be back in action against Paola on Friday night at home. The girls game was originally scheduled for Thursday night but was moved back one day due to snow. Winter royalty will be crowned during the games Friday night.
Reach reporter Cuyler Dunn at [email protected]
