The Boone Central Cardinals salvaged their Mid-State Confernce tournament week to an extent, bouncing back from an excruciating opening loss to win two consolation bracket games and finish fifth in the annual event.
Boone, seeded #5, had #4 Hartington Cedar Catholic on the ropes Tuesday, but could not put the Trojans away and lost a 55-53 heartbreaker when Cedar Catholic rallied late.
The Cardinals also could not stop Cedar Catholic standout Jaxson Bernecker, who poured in 35 of the Trojans’ 55 points. Bernecker kept HCC (17-4) close with seven points in the first quarter, then added 10 in the second period as the Trojans knotted the halftime score at 29-all. He was just getting started. Bernecker nailed a pair of 3-pointers and scored 13 points in the third to keep Cedar Catholic within one. The Trojans, with Bernecker scoring another five points, made a strong run in the final stanza and were able to hold off Boone Central’s final push.
“I thought we did a lot of good things, but we didn’t finish at the rim the way we needed to,” said Card Coach Justin Harris. “We led for a good portion of the game, but they made a run in the fourth quarter we were unable to overcome.”
In consolation action, Boone Central put it all together Friday, building a solid lead and finishing with a fourth-quarter blitz and 75-45 victory over Guardian Angels Central Catholic (5-13).
“We made a nice run in the second quarter to help us feel in control,” Harris noted. “We didn’t shoot well from the 3-point line, but finished with 58 points in the paint. They tried to pressure us in the fourth, which led to easy layups.”
Boone Central (13-7) defeated Battle Creek 71-53 in its final game before the Mid-State tournament. The Braves, employing wonky defensive tricks, put up a stiffer fight in Saturday’s fifth place game before bowing to the Cards 59-51.
With seven Cardinals scoring points, Boone outscored Battle Creek (7-12) 18-10 in the second quarter and seemed in control with a 35-26 halftime lead. The Braves trimmed the margin to 46-41 in the third period, put could not complete the rally, scoring just 10 points in the final eight minutes.
“They played a triangle-and-two defense and I did not have us prepared for it. I thought the players adjusted well, as we cut and attacked well at times,” Harris stated. “We had good looks that just didn’t fall that day. Fortunately we shot 15-of-19 at the free throw line.
“It wasn’t the game we anticipated, but we did what we needed to win, and that is important this time of year.”
Further details and stats in Print & Online editions of Albion News/Boone County Tribune
