After a 4-1 start, the Boone Central/Newman Grove Cardinals entered the Bennington Holiday Tournament hoping to build momentum for the second half of the season.
Instead, the Cardinals dropped a pair of tough contests and will take a 5-3 mark into this week’s action.
BC/NG opened the holiday event Friday against host Bennington and could not overcome a slow start in a 73-64 loss.
With Rischling and Hiscock combining for 15 points, Bennington raced to a 23-13 first-quarter lead, then held BC/NG at bay. Kyle Kramer sank a trio of three-point field goals in the fourth period, and Keaton Henry and Travis Kennedy each hit one, but Bennington sank 13-of-18 free throws in the quarter to secure the decision.
“Bennington is one of the best teams in Class B and we knew we were going to have to play a very solid game,” noted Card Coach Dan Zoucha. “Playing a team of that caliber is a good thing at this juncture of the season – you want to know where you are as a team.”
A dearth of offensive production doomed the Cardinals in a 43-38 consolation game loss to Broken Bow Saturday.
Boone Central/Newman Grove charged to a 16-7 lead in the opening period, but scored just 22 points over the final three quarters.
“Prior to the game, we spent time talking about how they (Broken Bow) would be a scrappy team – and they were,” said Zoucha. “We got a good start, but were unable to sustain the offensive intensity. We allowed Broken Bow to outwork us. We did have 18 offensive rebounds, but could not convert those points as well as we wanted.
“We made just 11-of-28 shots in the paint.”
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