Even though it was just a split, overall, it was a good weekend for the Boone Central/Newman Grove Lady Cardinals.
BC/NG got the weekend off to a splendid start Friday night in Albion, defeating a young O’Neill squad 57-25.
Senior Sadie Wallin hit a three-pointer and scored five points as Boone Central/Newman Grove took a 10-3 first-quarter lead. The Cardinals then broke the game open with a big second period.
The Cardinals’ fullcourt pressure defense forced a number of O’Neill turnovers and miscues, while senior Kaity Stuhr sparked a 21-7 blitz with two three-point field goals and 10 overall points.
BC/NG’s 31-10 halftime lead only grew in the second half, as the Cards dominated to the end.
Boone Central/Newman Grove hit the road Saturday for a long trip to Wayne and battled to the end in a 46-39 loss to the Blue Devils.
“I’m very proud of the effort and the way our girls competed against Wayne,” Imus said. “We led each quarter, but unfortunately, that doesn’t reflect on the final score.”
That final score did not end in the Cardinals’ favor due to Wayne success in the final minutes, allowing the Devils to outscore BC/NG 16-6 in the fourth quarter after trailing 33-30.
Pelster scored six points inside to pace Boone Central/Newman Grove to a 14-8 lead in the opening period and the advantage grew until Wayne sank a trio of three-point daggers to end the first half trailing 22-20.
BC/NG was able to maintain its slim edge as Wallin, Tessa Hedlund and Bailey Reigle hit third-quarter three-point field goals and battled the Blue Devils evenly into the final minutes, where Wayne was able to make the big plays and steal the victory.
Further details in Print & Online editions of Albion News
