Cardinal Basketball's Future is bright

WAITSBURG - The Cardinal boys varsity basketball team dropped two games last week. St. John-Endicott (SJE) beat Waitsburg on Friday, January 24, and Dayton came out on top, 62-51, on Saturday, January 25.

In the SJE game, the Eagles built a ten-point lead in the second quarter and did not let up as they cruised to a 69-45 win.

Coach Westin Wallace stated that his boys need to invest in defensive intensity.

Logan Seal led Waitsburg with 16 points (including hitting four 3-point shots).  He also had six rebounds and three steals. Rollin Carpenter came off the bench to add six points and eight rebounds for the Cardinals.

Against Dayton, the Bulldogs had a 10-point lead in the second quarter before the Cardinals tied the game at 45-45 in the third quarter.  Waitsburg struggled to find the basket in the fourth quarter.

Coach Wallace was happy with how his team pushed the pace.  He had players who got in foul trouble early in the game, and his team struggled to secure defensive rebounds. Wallace mentioned how JJ Gleason got to the free-throw line well. 

"The effort was there.  It is just the nitty gritty stuff we have to learn to do. I am confident for next year," said Wallace.

Blake Benavides played with intensity on both ends of the court and ended the game with 16 points, six rebounds, and four steals, and Gleason added 15 points.

Coach Wallace is excited for the future as his junior varsity (JV) boys have been playing well and winning games.  They beat SJE 52-33 and won the game against Dayton 46-42.

The JV team held SJE scoreless in the first quarter.  Leading 12-0, the boys continued to play well and built a 20-point lead in the second quarter. In the game, eight Cardinals scored, with eighth-grader Alex Zuniga leading the way with 14 points. Freshman Bryer Paul was also in double figures, scoring 11 points.

Zuniga continued to have a hot hand as he scored 11 points in the first quarter against Dayton Saturday night. The Cardinals led throughout the game and won 46-42. 

Zuniga finished the game with 19 points, seven rebounds, and five steals. Trace Nesje got seven rebounds in the third quarter and ended the game with 12 rebounds and five points.  Liam Kiefel scored six points and had six rebounds, Paul and Carter Barron scored five points each, and Tyler Coulston scored two in the win.

"The boys played good team basketball, did well defensively, and held off a Dayton run in the fourth quarter by keeping their composure," said Wallace. "The coaches are extremely proud of them.  The eighth graders are stepping up and have been extremely fun to witness."