Cardinals win consolation at tournament
By Adam Thomas, BHG News Service
The Washburn Cardinal boys look like a completely different team this year after graduating almost their entire starting squad over the off-season. Although different, they aspire to the same goal: returning to the Regional tournament final for the third consecutive time. Their journey began last week with the annual McLean County Tournament in Underwood. On the first night of the tournament, the Cardinals were surprised by a come-from-behind effort from Center-Stanton Wildcats, but Washburn recovered in their next game by taking down the Underwood Comets before completely outclassing the Beulah JV team in the consolation championship game on the final night. The Cardinals were coming off their first game of the year, a win against Kidder County. Flipping on an offensive attack, Washburn outscored the Pirates 30-18 in the second half to put their first mark of the year into the win column, 49-40. They looked to be continuing that efficiency against the Wildcats on the opening night of the McLean County tournament. Playing a steady pace, Washburn pulled ahead in the first quarter and expanded on it to end the first half up 11 points, 32-21.
