After losing four straight games, three to ranked opponents with a cumulative record of 32-4, Boone Central stormed by the O’Neill Eagles Friday in Albion. However, on a trip to Wayne Saturday, the Cardinals were again bitten by a newly-rated foe in Mid-State Conference play.
Boone Central took out some of its recent frustrations in Friday’s 71-51 win over O’Neill (5-5). The Cards soared to a 42-22 halftime lead, scoring 21 points in each of the first two quarters. Ryan Kramer (7 points) and Carsten Bird (6 points) got BC off to a fast start in the opening eight minutes. Bird hit his second 3-pointer in the second period and Alex Christo tossed in six points.
O’Neill fought back in the third, outscoring the Cardinals 22-12, but Boone Central finished with a 19-12 fourth-quarter advantage to nail down the win. Kramer scored seven points in the final stanza.
Cardinal Coach Justin Harris was pleased with the home court atmosphere and performance by his team.
“It was great to have a lot more fans in the stands and the kids seemed to enjoy it,” Harris commented. “We executed the game plan on both ends of the floor fairly well. O’Neill capitalized on the open looks we gave up in the third to make the game closer, but we shot the ball better than we had all year.”
Bedeviled
The competition ramped back up Saturday, the shots didn’t fall regularly, and Boone Central dropped a 58-35 decision to Class C1 #9 Wayne (11-2).
The Cardinals managed just 19 first-half points, trailing by 12 despite seven second-period points by Bird. Boone Central (5-7) never did find its shooting touch against tough Wayne defensive pressure, adding just 16 points in the second half.
“We need to be more consistent. We start to correct a weakness, then allow another area to slip,” Harris said. “We had only 10 turnovers against a good defensive team, but got destroyed on rebounds. We didn’t play with the same intensity as the night before, and that is something I have to make sure we do each opportunity we get.”
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