Silence hushed over the crowd as the final buzzer rang, and the Cards lowered their heads in defeat. The Bloomington South Panthers reveled in their victory with a final score of 49-40 on Thursday, Feb. 12.
Though defeated, the Cards weren’t discouraged. They knew they played good defense to the best of their abilities when being matched up against a top 30 team in the state that is also ranked first in Conference Indiana.
“I was really proud of how we fought and played together as a team tonight,” head coach Ben Rhoades said.
At the beginning of the game, the crowd was excited as the starting five ran on to the court. The boys were ready for the game ahead.
The crowd stared in suspense as the referee threw up the ball for the tip off. After jumping up and tipping the ball back, the Panthers ran to the basket, obtaining the first point of the game.
For the first quarter, SHS was on the defensive side of the ball for most of the time, trying to contain the Panther’s offense.
Though being on defense more often than not, the Cards were able to rack up 10 points, leaving the end of the first quarter with a score of 13-10.
“I feel like the importance of playing good defense against a good team like Bloomington South is the fact that when you don’t do it, you get caught up in a situation where y’all can’t be good offensively,” senior James Kalala said.
Going into the second quarter, senior Sam Lloyd was a big contributor to both SHS’s defense and offense. Throughout the night, Lloyd was able to put up 10 points, seven rebounds and three blocks. Lloyd was in constant communication with his teammates on both sides of the ball, showing his leadership all throughout the night.
“It’s mostly leading by example because if you’re doing the right thing, then nobody’s gonna tell you what you’re not doing,” Lloyd said. “So it’s like (I’m) always doing the right thing, making sure (I’m) the head of the pack. Everybody else is bound to follow eventually.”
Finishing off the second quarter, the Cards stayed on defense once again. When they were not on defense, they were able to occasionally score. At the end of the quarter, the Cards trailed 26-21.
After halftime, the Cards entered the court, ready to put in the work to get the win.
Though the entirety of the third quarter was mostly uneventful, both teams exchanged baskets, ending the quarter 33-28.
Going into the last quarter, the tension rose as the Cards were a few points behind. They hoped to make the push to take the lead and win the game.
But that all changed when one player left the game.
During the fourth quarter, senior go-to guard Malakai Bravard ended up getting hurt, taking him out for the remainder of the game. Though he was not able to play, Bravard still cheered on his teammates from the sidelines.
With Bravard no longer on the court, the offense looked to Kalala.
For the night, Kalala finished with a near double-double, scoring 12 points and grabbing nine rebounds, hoping to put the Cards on top.
With only a minute left on the clock, the Cards went out, persevering through the end of the game while knowing they might not win.
The final buzzer rang as the board glowed with the final score of 49-40.
Though they didn’t win, they were not brought down. The Cards were still proud of the work they put in, and they intend to keep working just as hard, if not harder, to win the next game.
Looking next on their schedule, The Cards will play Terre Haute South Vigo on Friday, Feb. 20 for their final conference game.
“We can’t hang our heads on one game,” Lloyd said. “So it’s just about tomorrow. We’re going to practice, get back to work and then get rid of the next team.”
