WP Beats Endicott

WAITSBURG -- The WP Cardinals took a non-league victory over the St. John Endicott Eagles last Friday night, 86-62.

The Cardinals started things off with Billy Brown out-jumping his opponent for the tip off and the Cardinals were on the board with a Zach Bartlow bucket.

WP's Dustin Wooderchak took his turn next with a drive up the lane that drew a foul and giving "Woody" a three-point play.

Another basket from underneath from Bartlow gave the Cardinals a 7-0 lead.

Bartlow drove to the hoop once again for two more before the Eagles answered with a bucket of their own to get them on the board.

The Eagles perimeter shooting soon became an obstacle for the Cardinal defense and Dakota White pulled them within seven of the Cardinals with a threepoint basket at the first quarter buzzer.

The first two minutes of the second quarter was all Bartlow as he scored the first six Cardinal points with driving buckets followed by a three-point basket from Wooderchak. This play took the Cardinals to a 30-17 lead.

The Eagles were turning up the heat from the perimeter and the Cardinals were stumbling through screen switches. And the Cardinals soon found the Eagles hot on their heels.

St. Johns White drew a foul on Dalton Estes, turning his drive to the hoop into a three-point play and pulled the Eagles with four points of the lead with 1:37 left in the half.

The Cardinals failed to score on their next trip down the court and St. John's Joey Kucklick threw up a threepoint shot to cut the Cardinal lead to 36-35.

WP's Devin Acevedo was called for an over the back violation on White the next trip down the floor and the Eagles took the lead with two free throws.

WP's Eshom Estes took an inbounds pass underneath and put it in with 23 seconds left to give the Cardinals a 38-37 half time lead.

The Cardinals came out on fire in the third quarter, scoring 30 points with Bartlow putting in 15 of those points and Wooderrchak putting up eight points to give the Cardinals a 68-52 lead going into the final quarter. The WP baskets thinned out in the fourth quarter, with the Cardinals scoring five of their 10 fourth quarter points from the free-throw line.

Bartlow lead the Cardinals with 31 points and 12 rebounds. Wooderchak threw up 21 points and brought down nine rebounds.

Brown was the third Cardinal in double digits with 14 points and 13 rebounds.

As a team, the Cardinals shot 47 percent from the floor and only turned the ball over six times.

These are definitely some numbers that the Cardinals need to throw up this Friday night when they take on the Asotin Panthers on the Panthers' home court at 7:30 p.m.