Cardinals Boys Basketball Collects Two Big Wins

In the 2A Southeast Idaho Conference the battle for first place has been a tight one. All five teams have proved that they can win on any given night making the upcoming district tournament one of the most intriguing in the state. Before the tournament begins the teams need to wrap up the regular season and determine what the seeding for the tournament will be.

The Cardinals took a good step towards a top spot with two big wins last week. They kicked the week off with highly ranked North Fremont. The Huskies have been one of the favorites in 2A all season long and had already handed the Cardinals a loss earlier in the season. Conversely the Cardinals have been a pleasant surprise for the Soda Springs faithful. The Cardinal men have struggled in recent seasons and many had them picked to finish towards the bottom of the district and have no shot at making the state tournament. They have proved the doubters wrong as they are not just in position to make the state tournament but have become a real threat to win the district title. As mentioned the Huskies had beaten the Cardinals in North Fremont back in December. That was then and the Cardinals now have proven they can play with anyone. The Huskies entered last Monday's game with just two losses and riding a seven game winning streak. The Cardinals were not intimidated and took the challenge head on.

After four quarters of play the Cardinals had once again silenced doubters as they came away with the win by the score of 55-49. As the week wrapped up for Soda Springs they would have the task of taking on district opponent Malad. Malad is sitting in last place in the district with zero district wins. However their losses have not been blowouts and have had some very tight games. With as tight as the district is every game matters and on Friday night these two teams would play with that type of intensity. As the teams battled it appeared as though Malad may finally win a district game and pull the upset over the Cardinals. The Cardinals wouldn't go down without a fight. Some well executed defensive and offensive plays combined with a heroic buzzer beater three by Caleb Thompson would send this game into overtime tied at 44. In the overtime period Soda Springs would take control putting up ten points while limiting Malad to just two. The Cardinals would win a crucial game. Throughout the week Hansen played very well for Soda putting up some big numbers and proving to the rest of the district that the Cardinals are not just a one trick pony with the Thompson brothers.

Things don't get easier for the Cardinals as they have two remaining games on the schedule before district tournament play begins. They will face Aberdeen on the road Tuesday night and finish the regular season at home against West Side. As things sit right now it appears that Bear Lake may be in the driver’s seat for the number one seed but both Soda Springs and West Side are right there with them making the Cards season finale all the more important. When the dust settles the fact remains that this district is wide open and each team will have to win some tough games.