Cheers and chants fill the Fieldhouse as the Cards near the end of the game. The gym isn’t usually this full, but tonight it contains a packed student section filled with hope for a win against their rival.
“We played them our first game of the year, so sometimes that goes back, that you beat them pretty easily,” head coach Bill Zych said. “But we’re all different, changed teams at this time of year.”
From beating them during the first game of the year to facing them again during the first round of sectionals, the Cards spent Wednesday taking home their second win of the year over the Perry Meridian Falcons.
The triumph of the game started early. At the tipoff, the ball went straight to the Cards, who immediately started scoring.
Overall, the team’s attempts to score were often successful. A strategy used commonly by the Cards, passing to a taller player near the net who dunks the ball, played a part in their consistent lead over the Falcons.
“Anytime you play a rival in the sectional game, it’s always going to be a tough start early,” Zych said, “and I thought our kids did a good job of staying in control and poised early.”
Although they were playing well, the Cards dealt with some difficulties making free throws. However, they made up for this by making shots from around the court. They scored multiple 2-pointers and even some 3-pointers, bringing the score to 30-21 with the Cards up by the end of the second quarter.
In the second half, the Cards’ defense stepped up their game. Multiple times, when the ball was in the Falcon’s hands, they got it back. When the Falcons went up for a shot, they blocked it.
According to junior Jack Turner, the second half was the better half for the Cards.
“First half I’d say we played not to our best ability. We kind of played down to their level,” Turner said. “But in the second half, we picked it up and started playing … ”
This defensive strategy led to the Cards being able to sub in new players and end the game with a score of 64-44.
To Zych, a collective effort resulted in this win. The whole team played consistently, and players who might not have scored helped the team in other ways.
“We’re just a good group of guys,” Zych said. “We don’t have a ‘star,’ so to speak, but they all pick their moments where they’re a star in their (own) ways.”
The next game for the Cards is tonight against Ben Davis High School, who beat the Cards in a previous game this season by 33 points. To continue playing their best, the team plans to handle the ball more effectively throughout the entire game.“Obviously, you’ve got to take care of the basketball, and you’ve got to make shots if you’re going to win,” Zych said. “But (Ben Davis is) a very good team. They’ve been state-ranked all year, so (it’s a) really good challenge for our boys.”
