Cardinals Bounce Back After Disappointing Losses

The Soda Springs Cardinals basketball team had a full schedule last week with three games.  They got an early start to the week with a Tuesday night game against 4A American Falls at home.  The Cardinals really struggled in this game eventually losing by their largest margin of the season.  Soda Springs only managed to score fourteen first half points while giving up thirty-six points.  The Cardinals got some offense going in the third quarter as they were able to surpass their first half total with fifteen points.  However the Beavers continued to pour in shots and were able to extend the lead.  The fourth quarter was closer matched but yet again the Beavers topped the Cardinals.  This was a game that the Cardinals would quickly want to put behind them and they would need to with their district rival West Side Pirates next up on the schedule.

The game against West Side took place on Thursday once again on the Cardinals home court.  This was the Cardinals first district game of the season giving Soda Springs their first feel of how they may land in the district standings.  This game got off to a very slow start with a low scoring first quarter.  At the end of the first the Pirates held a two point lead over the Cardinals.  In the second quarter the Cardinals continued to struggle to score.  Meanwhile the Pirates caught fire lighting up the scoreboard with five three point shots and adding twenty two points to the scoreboard.  The hot shooting from West Side put the Cardinals in a halftime hole of sixteen points.  One bright spot for the Cardinals was senior Konner McWilliams who scored a team high fifteen points in the game.  Unfortunately McWilliams would leave the game early with what appeared to be a rolled ankle.  The Cardinals were able to stick closer with the Pirates in the second half only getting outscored by four points in the final two periods.  The second quarter deficit was just too much for the Cardinals to overcome as they lost a crucial district game to the Pirates.

With one game left on their schedule for the week the Cardinals were desperate to end the week with a win.  That final game was yet another home game this time against the Salmon Savages.  The Cardinals chances of winning this one were greatly increased.  Just a week earlier the Cardinals had put a thirty-two point shelacking on the Savages in Salmon.  Even with McWilliams sitting this one out the Cardinals were still heavy favorites.  As expected it did not take long for the Cardinals to gain control of this game.  Soda Springs jumped out to an early first quarter lead and continued to run over the Savages.  With control of the game the Cardinals kept a regular rotation of players going into the game.  This allowed several different players to get on the scoreboard.  The Cardinals hit the mercy rule threshold in the fourth quarter causing a running clock as they cruised to the win. 

Konner McWilliams knocks down one of his three pointers in last week’s game. McWilliams would have to leave the game early due to an ankle injury.

The Cardinals will try to add to their win total this week when they host cross county rival Grace on Thursday before traveling to Declo for their next district contest on Saturday. 

Cardinals  6 8 15 12 41

Beavers 22 14 22 14 72

C. Thompson 5, G. Hansen 8, K. Harrison 4, K. McWilliams 7, L. Mellor 4, J. Horsley 8, P. Ozburn 5

Cardinals 5 7 10 14 36

Pirates 7 21 14 14 56

C. Thompson 2, G. Hansen 11, K. McWilliams 15, L. Mellor 2, J. Horsley 6, 

Cardinals 20 15 11 14 60

Savages 4 8 5 13 30

C. Thompson 20, G. Hansen 8, L. Mellor 7, K. Harrison 4, J. Horsley 13, L. Martinsen 2, M. Browning 3, C. Hansen 2, K. Peterson 1