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Just a few days after Christmas, the Cards traveled out to Schulenburg to compete in their varsity tournament on Dec. 27 and Dec. 28. Columbus struggled in the opening game against a visiting, out-of-country opponent and took a big blowout loss to open the tournament. The Cards recovered after that loss as their offense got some big boosts from their leading scorers to finish the tournament with a three-game winning streak.
Vs Australia, L, 69-29
The Cards had a unique opportunity during this tournament as they played their tournament opener against the foreign, Australian high school team that visited for the two-day tourney. Despite the long trip from the near the south Pacific to rural Texas, the Australian team came ready to play and gave the Cards a difficult time in the first game of the tournament. Columbus could not slow down their opponents’ offense effectively as they allowed the highest point total by an opponent since a tournament game earlier in December.
Much of what the Cards tried to do on the offensive end got shut down by the defense of their foreign opponents. Cristian Reyna was the only double- digit scorer with 10 points to lead the team. Colton Pitchford and Trevor Berger each scored five points as the next highest scorers on the team. These numbers are a far cry from their season averages as Australia found a lot of success on both sides of the ball.
Vs Snook, W, 69-61
The Cards bounced back in a big way by riding a season-high performance from Trevor Berger to an eight-point win over the Bluejays. Their offense returned with a vengeance as they notched their second game of scoring 60 points or more this season. Shots began to fall for the Cards as they gained confidence and momentum as the game went on.
Berger’s standout, 30-point performance was a leading factor to the Cards’ success in their bounce-back game. He softened the defense as he opened up opportunities for his teammates around him. Colton Pitchford got his offense going and scored the team’s second-highest total with 13 points. Cristian Reyna added another 10-point outing and Trace Braden pitched in eight points himself.
Vs Burton, W, 75-36
Columbus stayed hot to begin the second day of the Schulenburg-hosted competition. They scored their season-high point total and crossed the 70-point mark for the first time this season. Not only did their offense flow seamlessly, but they also had strong outing on the defensive end. It was just the second time in eight games that the Cards had held their opponents to less than 40 points. Those factors led to the Cards’ second-biggest win of the tournament.
Colton Pitchford led the way in this one with 18 points. He got plenty of support from his fellow Cardinals as 10 different players scored at least once, and eight scored five or more points. Cristian Reyna was the second- leading scorer with 10 points as the only other Cardinal to finish with double figures. Trinity Thompson and Ty’Vone Whitehead were close with nine and eight points respectively.
Vs Yorktown, W, 62-22
Columbus got their biggest win of the tournament in the closing statement with a 40-point blowout. They had an outstanding defensive effort in this game with the Wildcats’ 22 points in the game marking the second- lowest total this season by a Cardinal opponent. The offense stayed hot on offense throughout the game as they held on for a big, tournament-closing victory.
Trevor Berger returned to the top of the scorer’s list for the Cards with a 16-point performance that led the team. Colton Pitchford finished with double digits in a 10-point outing, and Zane Barnes and Trace Braden contributed eight points each for the offense.
