In a hectic week against tough foes, the Boone Central/Newman Grove Lady Cardinals gained at least some measure of momentum Saturday with their third win of the basketball season.
After being soundly defeated by Class B Northwest Tuesday and C1 Top 10 Wahoo Neumann Thursday, BC/NG got back into the win column Saturday with a home court victory over the Ainsworth Bulldogs.
Northwest methodically wore down the Lady Cards to open the week, building a 29-16 halftime lead on the way to a 53-33 victory.
“We played well at times, but again, we’re looking for a consistent four-quarter ball game,” said Cardinal Coach Andy Imus. “We need to communicate better, see the ball and players at all times, and have better closeouts – the small things.
“We also need to minimize opposing offensive rebounding and take better care of the ball – issues we’ve talked about all year long.”
Boone Central/Newman Grove (3-17) was simply outmatched Thursday as C1 #7 Wahoo Neumann (16-5) limited the Cardinals to no more than six points in any quarter and scored a 68-20 victory.
“A game against a top C1 state contender – we were exposed on each end of the floor,” Imus acknowledged. “It was a game where, hopefully, our girls can see what it takes to compete at the top of our class.”
BC/NG put those disappointments behind and, with a strong second half, defeated visiting Ainsworth (0-21) 50-38 Saturday.
The Cardinals trailed by one point, 25-24, at halftime, but limited the Bulldogs to just 13 points following intermission.
“It was good to close out the regular season with a home victory,” Imus commented. “We had some decent possessions, where we moved the ball well, covered it side-to-side, and had good looks. We also took better care of the ball, with 14 turnovers.
“I thought our girls responded well in the second half, allowing Ainsworth 13 points. We still need to improve rebounding, and some of that is our lack of physicality.
“Our girls need to continue to improve their basketball IQ in terms of offensive and defensive positioning and better decision-making.”
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