The varsity boys basketball team went into the annual Roadrunner Classic Tournament as the number one seed with a record of 8-1. Their first game tipped off at 6 p.m. on Jan. 18. The Cardinals faced the 2-8 Wellington Crusaders, a team they lost to by one point in three overtimes earlier in the season.

    “We wanted revenge and didn’t want to lose to them again,” senior Jacob Winter said.

    Winter was one of three players for the Cardinals to score in double digits. Senior Noah Finstad led the team with 18. The Cardinals came back from a 11 point deficit at halftime to defeat the Crusaders 60-57.

    On Jan. 20, the Cardinals went up against Ark City in the winners’ bracket at 6:30 p.m. Although they made a run in the fourth quarter to try and close the gap, the Cardinals fell short with a final score of 68-76. Senior Josh Dugan had a season high 33 points in the loss, increasing his average to nearly 18 points per game.

    “They were making every dang shot,” junior Colton Terhune said. “It’s really hard to stop a team when their shooters are hot.”

    On Jan. 21, Conway played Belle Plaine for third place. Tip off was at 4:30 p.m., and the Cardinals got off to a good start, outscoring the Dragons 21-7 in the first quarter. Finstad led the team with 18 points, and the Cardinals got the third place title with a 73-58 win.

    “It was good that we bounced back from the loss to Ark City and placed third,” senior Gunnar Denney said.