Cardinal boys dominate Royall, Independence
by Doug Sands, student writer
The Eleva-Strum boys basketball team dominated the court over the holiday break, topping both Royall and Independence by impressive margins.
On Tuesday, Dec. 30, the Cardinals took on the non-conference Royall Panthers, resulting in an impressive 60-36 victory.
Eleva-Strum struck like lightning in the first quarter, quickly establishing a 12-point lead. Royall stepped up its intensity in the second, but the Cardinals maintained their momentum, bringing the score to 34-16 at the half. E-S kicked its defense into high gear in the third quarter, holding the Panthers to just four points. Leading by 28 points going into the fourth quarter, the Cardinals sealed the deal to ring up their fourth-straight victory.
Mathew Higley led the scoreboard on the Cardinals’ side with 13 points that evening followed closely by Caleub Watkins with 11 and Kelton Olson with nine. Gage Everson and Coy Christianson also contributed to the winning effort with seven points apiece.
E-S followed up that victory with another convincing win a few days later, taking out Independence, 68-39, at home on Friday, Jan. 2.
Both Eleva-Strum and Independence hit the ground running, but the Cardinals pushed themselves just a little faster. With E-S leading by five at the end of the first, the Indees faltered in the second quarter and Eleva-Strum took advantage, broadening its lead to 13 points. The Cardinals tightened up their defensive action in the third, forcing the Indees into multiple turnovers for fast-break points.
After outscoring Indy 20-8 in the third, the Cards took a 54-29 lead into the final quarter and effectively brought the game to a close.
Watkins and Everson led the way for the Cardinals with 19 and 17 points, respectively, followed by Higley with nine and Aspen Ryskoski with eight.
Moving forward into the new year with a promising 7-1 record on the season, Eleva-Strum faced Fall Creek at home on Tuesday, Jan. 6, and will host Alma Center Lincoln on Thursday, Jan. 8.