Cardinals pick up one win; drop two

(Above) GHV’s Landon Dalbeck had a stellar game for the Cardinals, scoring 25-points.  He also had five rebounds and four steals.  -Reporter photo by Chris Barragy

by Michelle Watson

Emotions were all over the board for the Garner-Hayfield-Ventura boys basketball team last week.  After picking up a close victory on Monday night, the Cards went on to drop two games to quality teams.

GHV 68, Bishop Garrigan 58

The Cardinals needed their fan support Monday night, Dec. 10, when they hosted Bishop Garrigan (3-1, 4-1) in a nail biter that came down to the fourth quarter.

Landon Dalbeck and James Betz got GHV rolling, combining for the first 12 points to take an early 12-2 lead.  Bishop Garrigan returned the favor and went on a six point run of its own, 12-8.  Dalbeck again had the hot hand and scored the last five points of the first quarter for a 19-12 lead.

The Cards pulled ahead by 12 points, 28-16, before the Golden Bears went on a seven point run, 28-23.  A couple of three-point shots by Justin Reding and Dalbeck ended the first half with the Cards leading, 36-27.

Bishop Garrigan was not to be denied.  They returned from the break and went to work, scoring three back-to-back baskets to move the game to within three, 38-35.  The Golden Bears took a one-point lead at one point in the quarter, 39-38.  The two teams traded baskets the rest of the quarter with the Cards only managing a three-point lead, 51-48.

With the three minutes remaining in the game, GHV still only led by three points, 53-50.  Dalbeck once again ground it out and dumped in nine points helping the Cards to a 68-58 victory.

“Even though we gave up some offensive rebounds, we battled all night and made them earn every bucket,” said Coach Jake Young.  “We played our most complete game of the season on both ends of the floor, and that translated into a big win against a very good team.

Dalbeck had a stellar game for the Cards, leading the team in points with 25.  He was 5/8 from the three-point line.  He also had five rebounds and four steals.

Betz had a double-double with 17 points and 12 rebounds.  He also had three steals and three assists.

Graham led the team in assists with seven, to go with his 12-points and three steals.

Reding ended the night with six points, five rebounds and two assists and two steals.

Lake Mills 67, GHV 64

Road games have been proving to be difficult for the Cardinals and Friday night was no exception, as GHV met Lake Mills (4-1, 5-1) on their home turf.

The two teams couldn’t have been more evenly matched in the first half.  The widest gap was a five point spread in the second quarter.  The Bulldogs managed a slight 30-28 lead by halftime.

“It always seems to take us until the second half to settle into the game and Friday was no different,” said Coach Jake Young.  “We were able to keep it close for most of the game, despite their hot shooting. I was proud of the way we executed down the stretch.”

Back-to-back threes in the third quarter gave Lake Mills a 41-33 lead.  The Cards went on a run of their own, dumping in seven points to pull to within one, 41-40.

The Bulldogs had a hot hand in the fourth quarter, hitting two more three’s to pull ahead again, 52-42.  With 4:03 left on the clock, the Cards were down by 10, 57-47.  The Cards slowly started to chip away at the deficit.  The Cardinals trailed, 66-61 with :36 remaining.  James Betz sunk a three with :11 on the clock, 66-64.  Jared Graham was forced to foul, sending the Bulldogs to the line, where they sunk one of two free throws for the final, 67-64.

Three players hit double figures for the Cardinals.  Betz led the way with 19-points, followed by Dalbeck with 15 and Graham with 13.

Betz led the way under the boards, hauling in 12 rebounds.  Graham collected seven and he

had four assists.