Home and away. Non-conference and conference. Offense and defense.
Victories over O’Neill Friday in Albion and Saturday at Wayne allowed the Boone Central Cardinals to keep recent momentum rolling and improved their 2008-09 record to 4-5.
Boone Central has now won three of their last four contests, with the only loss by three points to undefeated St. Paul, and is even (2-2) in Mid-State Conference play.
The Cardinals will face two Mid-State foes this weekend – traveling to Madison Friday and hosting West Point Central Catholic Saturday in Albion.
Boone Central used a second-half surge to key a 58-40 victory over visiting O’Neill Friday.
The Cards played tenacious defense, especially following intermission, and outscored the Eagles 31-18 over the final two periods.
“Our main message prior to this game was that the first two priorities we needed to concern ourselves with were defense and rebounding,” commented Boone Central Coach Dan Zoucha. “After these areas, we then had to have good offensive possessions and take shots that were sound.
“We felt we did those things.
“Our second half defense really frustrated O’Neill,” Zoucha added. “The guys played hard and took a lot of pride with that effort.”
“We had a lot of players contribute in many ways. It was good for the kids to get a win on their home floor.”
Boone Central went on the road Saturday and earned a key 41-36 victory at Wayne – no easy task in the Mid-State Conference.
The win was spurred by a furious third-period defensive effort.
“This game had all the similarities of a couple games we had played early in the season,” Zoucha noted. “Not very productive offensively in the first half and allowing some real easy looks at the basket for Wayne.
“After some discussion among the coaches, we changed our defense in the second quarter and that helped slow Wayne down.
“The defense in the third quarter was just outstanding and really displayed what we are capable of doing defensively,” Zoucha praised. “Wayne had 10 possessions and scored on only the last two. We rebounded well and took advantage of their turnovers, scoring off three of them.
“In the fourth quarter, our offense continued to improve, which allowed us to get to the hoop.
“This was a great conference win on the road,” he acknowledged. “After a shaky start, the kids were able to stay focused on the task at hand.
“Our coaches are proud of the poise and persistence that our players displayed.”
Complete Details in Print Edition of Albion News.
