In the first game of the season, the Ell-Saline Lady Cardinals dominated the Herington Railers 53-14. The Lady Cardinals got off to a fast start on offense, but it was their defense that led the Railers to multiple turnovers. Each time Herington got their hands on the ball, there was a Cardinal there to force a turnover. In the first half, Ell-Saline did rack up the fouls, but Herington was not able to capitalize at the free throw line. Herington struggled getting anything going offensively and took a 30-6 lead at halftime. In the second half, Ell-Saline backed off the pressure and took their comfortable lead to win 53-14.

Keala Wilson led the scoring for the Lady Cardinals with 18 points and Brin Hecker came away with 10 points on the night. Isabelle Porter received our H&R Block of the Game with a couple of great blocks on shots from Herington, while Keala Wilson was our Nex-Tech Wireless Player of the Game.

For the men tonight, it was a similar scene. Ell-Saline took control of the game early with the Cardinals leading 23-1 at the end of the first quarter. The defensive pressure that the Cardinals provided was the story of the game, as the Railers struggled to get the ball across half court and get their offense set up. In the first half, the Railers were able to get shots up, but were fouled in the process by the Cardinals. The Railers would not be able to make their free throws and that made the score deficit even greater. Ell-Saline would lead at the break 42-12. The Cardinals would go on to win 60-19 over Herington.

Carter Heil led the scoring for the Cardinals with 18 points that included a couple of contested three pointers. Garrison Zerger complimented the offense tonight with 9 points, while Marshall Johnson and Brogan Rowley had 8 points each. Kade Wilson was the H&R Block of the Game. He made a nice block towards the end of the first half on a three point attempt. Carter Heil was our Nex-Tech Wireless Player of the Game with his dynamic offensive performance.