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The Cardinals basketball team is no stranger to adversity, and they have reached an undefeated record in district play because of their ability to respond to it. They once again battled through adverse conditions during Tuesday night's game against the Edna Cowboys. The first and second place teams in the district played an evenly matched game that came down to the wire. The Cards got some late-game heroics from Cristian Reyna as he scored on a driving floater with three seconds left in the game to secure the 58-56 victory.
Columbus, the district's first-place team, had some slight difficulties with Edna's swarming full court defense and active hands to begin the game. The Cowboys took a 10-9 advantage to end the opening period before the Cards responded in the second to tie the game heading into halftime. The Cards' offense picked up after halftime, scoring 20 points in the third quarter and creating a four-point lead to start the final frame. Edna started finding more success on the offensive end in the fourth quarter as they cut into the lead. They had even taken the lead over Columbus with around a minute to go after a big 3-pointer. Down three points with possession of the ball after an Edna turnover, the Cards relied on Reyna to deliver some of the clutchest buckets of the season to secure the tight win.
The first of his scores was a difficult step back three that tied the game after Edna's huge shot. After the Cards got a big stop with around 10 seconds to go, Reyna picked up the rebound and raced down to the other end of the court and finished with a slow-stepping floater in the lane over a defender with just three seconds left on the clock. Edna launched a full-court shot as time ran out that hit the top of the backboard.
Reyna was the team's leading scorer at 21 points capped off with the five big points scored in the late stages of the game. Trevor Berger was the next leading scorer with 20 points. Berger was aggressive in the paint, drawing many fouls and earning 11 trips to the charity stripe. He hit 10 of his 11 chances in an efficient game at the free throw line. The Pitchford brothers, Colton and Camdon, were crucial as their ballhandling abilities consistently broke down the full-court pressure and got the t eam into their offensive attack. They finished with six points apiece to tie for the third-highest total on the team.
