The Boone Central girls basketball team entered the 2008-09 season with an experienced roster and plenty of optimism. Early results have not dampened Cardinal hopes in the least.
The Lady Cards continued a nice early-season roll this past weekend, improving to 4-0 with victories over Pierce and Central City.
Coach Mike Kennedy, while pleased with the start, knows there is still work to be done, however.
“We need to continue to work hard on the defensive end of the court and make improvements on our turnover ratio as we continue a very difficult schedule of games,” Kennedy commented.
Cards 47, Pierce 34
Boone Central tipped off its second weekend of action Friday in Albion with a 47-34 decision over Mid-State Conference foe Pierce.
BC got off to a terrific start and was never really threatened by the Bluejays.
“We knew as we prepared for this game that both teams were going to play very tight man-to-man defense,” Kennedy said. “We did a good job getting good shots and forcing them into tough shots, especially in the first half.
“We played well on defense and rebounded effectively. That makes it very tough to score on us and puts us in a great position to be successful.”
“Brittany Luettel had a great game with 13 points, seven rebounds, three assists and five steals. She was the catalyst for our offense.”
Cards 50, C. City 38
Facing perhaps its toughest test to date in the young 2008-09 campaign Saturday at Central City, Boone Central passed with flying colors in a 50-38 victory over the Bison.
The Cardinals used a strong second-period run to open a comfortable lead, then held off the determined hosts in the second half.
“Central City plays a very different style than we are used to seeing and it is tough to adjust to,” Kennedy noted. “They play an extended 1-3-1 zone defense and do a good job trapping the corners and getting deflections.
“Bobbi Beckwith hit some big shots early to get us off to a good start and ended up scoring 19 points, including 9-of-9 from the free throw line.
“Our post players – Stephanie Paulson, Emily Wells and Cara Struebing – had a good night, combining for 29 points and 19 rebounds,” he added. “Emily, especially, had a good night offensively and defensively. She gave us a real boost with 11 points and took a charge in the fourth quarter that really gave us the momentum back.”
Complete Details in Print Edition of Albion News.
