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The Columbus Cardinals traveled to Schulenberg to compete in the tournament hosted by Schulenburg.
The Cardinals came out the gate hot to start the tournament with three straight wins against Buton, Brazos and Gonzales.
Vs. Burton, W, 72-51
Starting things off for the Cardinals was a matchup against the Burton Panters in game one of the tournament.
The Cardinals came into the game still feeling the Christmas spirit and were able to focus on the game completely. After stuffing themselves with plenty of Christmas treats the Cardinals took the court and let their offense do what they do best.
The Cardinals jumped out to an early lead and continued to step on the gas as time ticked off. The Cardinals must have been good this year because Santa gifted them with a huge 21-point win right before the new year.
The Cardinals were not done there though as they had to quickly shift their focus and energy to their next game against Brazos.
Vs. Brazos, W, 49-41
Playing in their second game of back-to-back games the Cardinals experienced a little bit of fatigue as the Christmas treats seemed to be catching up to them.
Despite the fatigue though the Cardinals gritted their teeth and found a way to pull away from Brazos late and secure the win. The Cardinals’ defense was the story in this game as opposed to game one.
The defense helped keep things stable for the Cardinals and eventually their offense was able to find a rhythm late while the defense just kept chugging along. With time winding down in the fourth quarter the Cardinals’ offense and defense combined beautifully for a perfect 1-2 punch to send Brazos packing and the Cardinals were now 2-0.
They utilized this flow state of high-flying offense and stout defense in game three of the tournament where they returned to form with another 20-point win.
Vs. Gonzales, W, 53-33
The Cardinals concluded their great start with another massive win over Gonzales.
The Cardinals took the game right to Gonzales and was in their face all night long which led to multiple chances for the Cardinals that they did not make any mistakes on. With the game well in hand the Cardinals defense shut down the Gonzales offense for the remainder of the game to secure their third victory.
The Cardinals have two more games scheduled at the tournament on, Thursday, Dec. 28, against Snook and on Friday, Dec. 29, against the host Schulenburg where they will be looking to continue their winning ways.
