Cardinals start off sluggish, finish strong for close win

By JASON VIOX/Daily Journal Sports Writer

PARK HILLS - The Mineral Area Cardinals had a couple of setbacks before their Saturday game against the 19-5 and nationally-ranked Meramec Magic. MAC's Rob Kennedy didn't play due to a slightly torn ACL. To make matters worse, lead-scorer Kenny Burke was out because of the flu.

These obstacles and a slow start tested the Cardinals. Although the game wasn't pretty, Mineral Area managed to walk away with a 61-58 victory over the Magic.

Meramec's David Johnson kicked off the contest with a field goal. Aaron Jackson tied the game with a pair of free throws while Ryan Byrne gave the Cardinals a two-point lead. The Magic regained the lead as Johnson nailed the first three pointer of the game.

Meramec slowly drifted ahead with the lead as another three by Johnson gave the Magic a five-point lead. Curtis Muse narrowed the deficit to three points, but things quickly got ugly for the Cardinals. Meramec went on an 8-0 scoring run which included a three-pointer by James Grey.

MAC's coach Corey Tate called time to get his players focused. Mineral Area scored six points while Meramec scored four before the Cardinals had a strong showing. Mineral Area countered Meramec's previous scoring drive with an 8-0 run of their own. The run also included a three-pointer by Byrne at the six-minute mark.

Meramec would not go down so easily as Johnson drained his third triple of the game. MAC made three more points while Meramec scored two as the first half came to a close. The score was 31-28 in favor of the Magic at half-time.

Solid defense at the beginning of the second half by both squads allowed very few shooting attempts. Meramec's Tom Eggers finally broke through and made the first points of the half with 16:48 left in the game. A field goal and a free throw by Tremaine Wilkerson shortened the lead.

Byrne later picked up a loose ball and turned it into a three-pointer as the Cardinals regained the lead by the score of 36-35. Meramec scored five consecutive points as Jonathon Caffey knocked down a three. Both teams traded four points before a tip-in by De'Alan Hicks and a free throw by Muse narrowed Meramec's lead to one point.

MAC eventually took a 49-48 lead with a reverse lay-up by T.J. Britton. The two teams were deadlocked at 50 points each. Byrne and Eggers matched one three-pointer for another tie. The game was tied one last time at 56-56 before Mineral Area scored five straight points for the lead. One more basket was made by the Magic, but they could not get any closer.

Turnovers were abundant for both sides. Mineral Area made 17 turnovers while Meramec had 23.

Free throws decided the fate of Saturday's contest. MAC was 19-33 from the free-throw line while 10 out of 15 attempts were made by the Magic

"It was a gutsy win," admitted coach Tate. "We'll take it, but it was a very gutsy win. It was a big statement for my team."

Mineral Area, now 17-7 and 2-1 in conference, will travel to West Plains on Tuesday for a Region 16 showdown.

Meramec - 31 27 - 58

Mineral Area - 28 33 - 61

SCORING:

Meramec - D Johnson 13, T Eggers 9, D Moore 8, Z Hammond 7, C Simmons 6, A Egelhoff 5, J Grey 5, J Caffey 3, A Brinker 2

3-Pointers - D Johnson 3, J Gray 1, T Eggers 1, J Caffey 1

Mineral Area - R Byrne 18, A Jackson 13, D Hicks 8, T Wilkerson 8, C Muse 7, T Britton 3, G Somerville 2, R Peterson 2

3-Pointers - R Byrne 3