On Dec. 10, all Cardinal basketball players left for Kingman for the annual basketball tournament hosted there. Both boys and girls varsity teams played Wellington on Thursday for their first game. The girls ended the night with a 35-55 loss against Wellington, while the boys had a close 52-51 win that night.

“Our defense was tough, and we scored well Thursday night,” junior Jacob Winter said.

The teams traveled back to Kingman on Friday to play against Kingman. The varsity girls lost to Kingman 34-43. The boys came out with their second win of the tournament  with a score of 44-35, putting them in the championship game the following day.

“We need to make that extra pass and find that open guy to improve,” freshman Zach Mercer said.

The final day of the tournament was Dec. 12. The varsity girls team played Sunrise Christian Academy. With two losses, the girls came together and beat Sunrise 40-18 for a fifth place finish.

The boys played Sterling High School for the championship game. The ending score was 51-56, with Sterling coming out on top, giving the boys second place in the tournament.

“Even though we lost, it was a good, close game,” junior Gunnar Denney said.