Batesville, IN – The St. Louis Cardinals were set to do battle with the East Central Trojans for a chance to play in the SEI championship.
The Cardinals came out firing on all cylinders in the first quarter, jumping out to a 14-2 lead after one. The Trojans, as expected would climb their way back into this game. They managed to stop the bleeding and cut the Cardinals lead to just 6, halftime score, 21-15.
East Central continued their success on both ends right out of the locker room in the third quarter. They cut the lead down to only 2 points. It was down to a one possession game and the Cardinals were in search of some momentum as they were on the ropes. That came quickly in the form of a surprise 7-0 run from St. Louis to extend the lead.
But, this game was quite the roller coaster as East Central again battled back from 9 down to cut it back to a one possession game. Much like the 3rd quarter run, the Cardinals kept their composure and regained some breathing room, closing out the game well in the final minutes. Final score, Cardinals 40 – East Central 34.
The Cardinals were led in scoring by Ryan McGuire with 12 points. Cam Anderson had 10 points, Grant Hartwell had 7 points, Luke Richardson had 5 points, Hunter Young added 4 points, and Wyatt Steinkamp had 2 points.
The Cardinals will be in action in the championship game vs. hometown foe, Batesville on Thursday night. That game will be hosted at Batesville.