The Cardinals basketball teams both earned big wins Friday over Spring Hill on senior night.
The girls kicked things off by taking down the defending league champions to put themselves in the driver’s seat for a league title. Spring Hill had only two losses entering Friday night, one of which was to Eudora earlier in the year.
The boys followed suit, streaking out to an 11-2 lead, forcing an early Spring Hill timeout.
A block and score by sophomore Ryan Osburn sent the student section into a frenzy and some sharp shooting helped the Cardinals build a huge lead and never look back.
The seniors were recognized between games. The boys team featured five senior players: Micaiah Jerome, Braydon Gardner, Errol Siemon, Connor Watson and Jackson Smith.
“It’s a lot of fun just battling with each other and hoping to get more wins,” Jerome said.
Smith said it was good to end their Eudora basketball careers together.
“It’s been good growing up with these guys,” Smith said. “Playing with them for all these years and then getting to finishing out senior year.”
The group of seniors have played together for years and watched each other grow up side by side.
“We’ve been playing together for I don’t know how long,” Siemon said. “It’s just getting one last ride.”
Despite some games not going their way this year, the Cardinals have managed to pull together in big moments, like when they claimed the tournament crown in Tonganoxie.
“I’m just glad we all stuck together,” Gardner said. “We never gave up on each other. We play as a team.”
The boys will play three away games next week as they battle for playoff seeding.
“We’ve stuck together,” Watson said. “We’ve gone through it. There’s times that we’ve been down. There’s times we’ve been out. So it’s really nice to see everybody come together.”
Head coach Tyler Cleveland said he was grateful for the seniors who have stuck by him during his first year as varsity head coach.
“It’s been up and down, and those guys have stayed in the fight and kept believing in me,” he said. “I just really appreciate those five guys.”
The girls team recognized four senior players: Hanna Keltner, Miranda Kuntz, Ally Rietcheck and Allison Allison.
“I think we’ve had a senior year that everyone dreams of,” Rietcheck said.
She said the team has had little drama and spends time together on and off the court.
“All of us seniors just love being around each other,” Kuntz said. “Being able to grow up with this group has been so amazing for me.”
Allison said the team regularly spends time after practice sitting together and bonding.
“It’s just because we love each other so much,” she said. “There’s not anyone else that we would rather be spending three hours a day with. It’s just – it’s been a dream come true.”
Keltner said this has been one of her most fun seasons. She said the team has its own language and inside jokes that have helped them grow closer.
“I’ve never dreaded a practice, even if we’re doing sprints,” Keltner said. “You have those girls beside you that are cheering you on.”
Parker said the group is as good a lineup of seniors as he’s ever coached.
“They’ll do whatever the team needs,” Parker said. “And they want everybody on this team, everyone on this team to succeed. That’s very rare.”
The Cardinals will move their attention toward three road tests next week, including a big-time matchup with top-ranked Hayden.
Reach reporter Cuyler Dunn at [email protected]
