Friday evening found the 7th Grade NCOE Junior Cardinal basketball team traveling to Cisne to take on the Jasper Polecats in first round action of the Cisne 7th Grade Tournament. This eight team tournament is set up in double elimination format with the winner advancing to the semi-final round with a guaranteed two games on Saturday and the loser facing elimination early in the day Saturday.
Action started at a very fast pace for both teams and the Polecat defense was very aggressive forcing several early Jr. Cardinal turnovers. However, as the first quarter of play would wind down, NCOE would find themselves possessing a three point advantage at 14-11. This Junior Cardinal lead swelled to 10 as intermission arrived following a 13-6 run in the second quarter.
Following halftime, the game picked back up much the same way it started as with Jasper registering 11 third quarter points along with 14 by NCOE. This small advantage allowed the Jr. Cards to enter the final frame of action with a 13-point lead. This double digit lead did prove advantageous as the Polecats managed to make a run on the Jr. Cards early on but NCOE did tighten their defense to hold Jasper at bay as they collected the hard fought 48-36 victory. This win moved NCOE into the winner’s bracket Saturday morning where they will take on the Cisne/Clay City winner at 10:15.
Cord Tucker led the Junior Cardinal offense with 15 points followed by Preston Long with nine, Joel Hortin nine, Colby Prather nine, and Erik Healy six. Long dished out a team high seven assists while Healy added five, Hortin four, and Tucker one.
Joel Hortin and Preston Long claimed rebounding honors with six a piece followed by Erik Healy with two and Colby Prather one. Hortin, Long, and Healy each gathered three steals while Jaden Simmons added one of his own.
