After a bit of a disappointment in the Mid-State Conference Tournament, including the end of its seven-game winning streak, Boone Central bounced back with three straight victories in a busy week of boys basketball action Feb. 10-14.
The Cardinals improved to 12-7 entering the final week of the 2008-09 regular season.
“Friday will be our final home game, where we’ll honor our seniors and their parents,” noted Cardinal Coach Dan Zoucha. “The way power points are shaping up, it looks like we will play Scotus (12-7) Monday in the sub-district.
“This will be a real challenge and will require us to have all cylinders hitting in unison.”
Boone Central was certainly fine-tuned to begin last week’s action, blowing by host Fullerton 65-27 Tuesday.
“We got off to a good start,” acknowledged Zoucha. “We were able to get up quick and continue to get good seperation from them.”
The hot hands of guards Ryan Shotkoski and Julian Kunzman sparked an 18-6 run to open the contest. Shotkoski hit two three-point field goals and poured in nine points in the first quarter while Kunzman added a trey and netted seven points overall. The pair continued to pace the Cards, finishing with game totals of 23 and 14 points, respectively.
Although never able to bury the Huskies, Boone Central nonetheless notched a solid 55-45 victory at West Holt Thursday in the second of three road games.
The Cardinals took a slim 24-19 halftime edge as Shotkoski scored 10 of 12 BC points in the second period.
Boone Central enjoyed its best stretch in the third quarter, outscoring the hosts 21-13 as Kalvin Zoucha (6 points) and Nathan Olson (4) did damage in the paint and Kunzman buried the Cards’ only three-point field goal of the game.
“We could not sustain a comfortable lead in this game. To their credit, West Holt played hard and was very aggressive defensively,” Zoucha commented. “We were able to control the boards and that was a key to the win.”
Shotkoski led scorers with 18 and Zoucha added 16.
Saturday’s 43-31 Cardinal victory over Central City in the second annual Heartland Hoops Classic in Grand Island seemed a bit different than the normal regular-season game.
“The atmosphere in the Heartland Events Center had a ‘tournament feel’ to it,” Zoucha said. “It was a fun place to play and I’m sure the guys will remember it.”
It’s always nice to remember success, which Boone Central enjoyed due to a tenacious defensive effort.
“Our defensive pressure never let Central City get into a rhythm and our rebounding was very good again,” Zoucha noted. “We did a good job limiting their second-shot attempts.
“Offensively, we had some good looks early that just didn’t fall. We’ve been shooting about 60 percent from the foul line, but we struggled there as well in this game.”
Shotkoski topped scoring with 15 points. Zoucha added 12 and Kunzman 11.
Complete Details in Print Edition of Albion News.
