Lady Cards fall to Arcadia, come bitterly close to Blair-Taylor
by Doug Sands, student writer
Another heartbreaking pair of losses shook the Eleva-Strum Lady Cardinals this week as they accepted a 65-26 defeat from Arcadia and fell to school rival Blair-Taylor, 67-58.
On Monday, Jan. 26, the Arcadia Raiders stormed into the Eleva-Strum High School gymnasium, leading with a crushing offensive drive. The Lady Cards, set to receive their opponents in the first quarter, were all but blown away. Within a short period, the Cardinals were buried under an 18-point deficit. Arcadia kept the pressure heavy in the second, and Eleva-Strum had all they could handle to keep the game within reach. By halftime, the Cardinals were down 24 points.
The Raiders kept their drive going relentlessly in the second half. They pinned down Eleva-Strum’s efforts at a comeback, holding the court in an iron grip. Even under this pressure, the Lady Cards fought resolutely to the end, showing pride even in defeat.
Leading the scoreboard for the Cardinals was Alexis McDonald with eight, shadowed by Josie Olson with seven and Greta Monson with five.
Three days after their defeat by Arcadia, the Lady Cardinals traveled to Blair-Taylor to take on a longtime school rival. E-S took to the court ready to play but the Wildcats pounced in the first quarter, sinking their teeth into Eleva-Strum’s offensive. The Cardinals struggled to shake them off, but B-T struck up a lead, pressuring their opponents under a 10-point deficit. Eleva-Strum gained scoring momentum in the second, but Blair Taylor kept ahead, leading 37-20 at the half.
The Lady Cards kicked their offense into high gear in the third, carving out a sizable chunk of Blair-Taylor’s lead to give them hope. They kept their energy high as they plowed into the fourth quarter, but the Wildcats held their score just out of reach by the final buzzer despite an impressive second-half effort by the Lady Cards.
Dominating the scoreboard was McDonald with a game-high 21 points followed by Olson with 14 and Anna Schoen with 11.
Even under these new losses, the Cardinals (2-15 overall) still push forward. The Lady Cards headed to Gilmanton on Tuesday, Feb. 3, for their lone game this week. The E-S girls will be back in action at home on Monday, Feb. 9, when they host Immanuel Lutheran.