By Benny Rogers/TVCC Sports Information
Wednesday was a day of mixed results for the Lady Cards and Cardinals.
It’s 39 and cloudy in Salina this morning. The high is expected to reach 56 and there is a 20 percent chance of rain. The high Friday is expected to be 74.
Lady Cardinals
The third-seeded Lady Cards (30-3) finally opened play in the college’s 20th national tournament appearance late in the day, making the wait pay off with a 64-49 win against 19th-seeded Wallace State, which closed the season 28-6.
That moves first-year coach Gerald’s Ewing’s squad to the Elite 8 to face No. 6 seed Iowa Western (31-3) in the quarterfinals tonight at 7. Iowa Western was a 57-46 winner against Salt Lake in its tournament opener.
Jazmine Spears led the Lady Cards with 13 points. LeeLee Grant had 12 points and also grabbed 22 rebounds. Kami Mickens finished with 10 points and Maya Singleton eight.
The Lady Cards led 32-23 at the half.
Tonight’s game against Iowa Western will mark the Lady Cards’ 75th national tournament game. They are now 58-16.
With a win tonight, the Lady Cards would advance to the semifinals Friday at 8 p.m. against the Chipola vs. Southern Idaho winner. The Lady Cards are a perfect 11-0 in national semifinal games. The other tournament quarterfinals will be No. 1 Hutchinson vs. No. 9 Northwest Florida State at 1 p.m. and No. 4 New Mexico vs. No. 5 Walters State at 3 p.m.
The Lady Cards’ 30 wins represent the 18th 30-win season in the 40-year history of the women’s basketball program.
Spotted in the crowd during the Lady Cards’ game against Wallace State at the Bicentennial Center were Leon Spencer, Danny Hughes, Elena Lovato and John and Mary Margaret Budke, the parents of late former Lady Card coach Kurt Budke.
All remaining Lady Card tournament games will be available for viewing online at www.njcaatv.ihigh.com. In fact, all tournament games will be webcast. Also, for audio only, you can hear the games at www.KSAL.com.
With the stakes increasingly higher today, make sure to keep those positive thoughts and vibes in the direction of the Lady Cards.
Cardinals
About 55 miles southwest of Salina in Hutchinson, the 11th-seeded Cardinals saw their season end with a 73-61 loss to sixth-seeded Hutchinson (28-6). The game on the Blue Dragons’ home floor, was played before a capacity crowd of an estimated 6,500, likely making it the largest crowd to ever see a TVCC basketball game.
The Cardinals, who ended the year 28-5, battled gamely throughout and led briefly at 21-18 deep into the first half. Hutch then went on a 10-0 run. Hutch led 30-24 at the half.
Aldonis Foote topped the scoring for the Cardinals with 19 points. He also had 15 rebounds. Dedrick Basile closed out his brilliant Cardinal career with 12 points and Clarence Williams netted 10.
The Cardinals’ 28 wins represent the fourth most in a single season, following 33 in 1981-82, 30 in 1994-95 and 29 last year.
The Cardinals are now 11-6 in national tournament appearances.
Congratulations to the Cardinals on another outstanding season. Have a safe trip home.