The Boone Central Cardinals continued to build on the momentum of their post-holiday turnaround this past weekend, increasing their current winning streak to four games (5-of-6) with Mid-State Conference victories over Madison and West Point Central Catholic.
With the wins, Boone Central climbed back over .500 (6-5) on the season following a tough 1-4 start and evened its conference mark at 3-3.
Boone Central’s renewed confidence was evident in its aggressive play against the Dragons and Bluejays. BC was far and away the more physical, aggressive team in the weekend wins, a 180-degree about-face from the final game before the holiday break, when an athletic Norfolk Catholic team imposed its will and style of play on the Cardinals’ home floor.
Boone Central certainly dictated the pace and outcome at Madison Friday, storming to an early lead and posting a 73-46 decision.
“We jumped out to a very quick lead – we did a good job getting up and down the floor,” noted BC Coach Dan Zoucha. “Our defensive pressure was great and that allowed us to take advantage of Madison’s miscues.
“We had a slight decrease in intensity in the third quarter, but finished strong with a lot of players contributing.”
Saturday’s game between Boone Central and West Point Central Catholic in Albion matched teams on the upswing.
The 5-5 Cardinals entered the contest with four wins in their last five outings, while the 6-6 Bluejays, in their two most recent games, had taken Class C1 Top 10 Norfolk Catholic to overtime and handed Top 10 Battle Creek its only loss of the season.
Following the conference clash, Boone Central was the squad with its momentum still intact.
The Cardinals built a solid third-period lead with aggressive play at both ends of the floor, used excellent free throw shooting in the fourth period and made clutch plays down the stretch to turn back a Bluejay rally in a 51-44 victory.
“Central Catholic has been improving all year – their confidence had been growing and they have several very good shooters,” acknowledged Zoucha.
“Our team showed a lot of confidence in many areas of the game. The fourth quarter really showed the growth of the team from the beginning of the year.
“With 1:43 remaining, our lead was down to 43-40 and the guys never panicked. We made some clutch foul shots down the stretch and a couple nice shots to seal the win.
“We are very proud of the efforts in these two conference wins this weekend.”
Complete Details in Print Edition of Albion News.
