CARDINGTON – It was a basketball season that only they believed they could have.
On Friday, Feb. 26, the perfect season came to an end. The Cardington girls basketball team lost to visiting Africentric 58-33 in the Division III district final.
The third-seeded Nubians (10-2), who captured their sixth consecutive district title, were led by Arianna Smith who had 20 points and 17 rebounds.
Mikayla Linkous (seven points) and Beth Hardwick (six points) led the way for the second-seeded Pirates, who won their first district crown last season, but were stopped short of a second.
“We lost a lot of good players (from last season), and everyone thought we were going to be down,” Cardington coach Jamie Edwards said. “We used that as motivation to get to 22-0 — now 22-1 and a district final. A lot of people counted us out, but we can all play; and the good news is that (our starters) are all coming back. I’m excited to see what happens.”
The Pirates (22-1) were supplied with all the right excuses from the time the season started: Their best players had graduated; they were too young; the COVID-19 pandemic was sure to end the season anyway. Yet, somehow, they kept climbing and defying the odds.
“The biggest problem was COVID,” Hardwick said. “People were saying, ‘Oh, you’re not going to have a season. It’s going to be cut short.’ We stayed positive. That’s the biggest takeaway I have for this season. So no matter what happened with numbers rising and new regulations in place, we did what we were supposed to do to stay safe and we were able to have a successful season.”
Kambry and Karsyn Edwards both had five points for the Pirates — who, as always, played for each other.
“We’ve all been playing together for as long as I can remember,” junior Dana Bertke said. “We have team chemistry, like no other team. No matter who graduates or what happens, we build from the ground up — from the time we are little. I just think that no matter what happens, we have each other and we’ll always do well.”
Bertke finished with five points.
At the same time, Africentric faced a battle of their own this season.
“We missed two months of practice, and then we were able to come back Jan. 15,” Africentric coach William McKinley said. “Even when we came back, we still hadn’t had a good practice for three days in a row; and we still haven’t because Maliyah Johnson (12 points, nine rebounds) sprained her ankle in her second game back. It’s been a trying season, but I have just been very proud of these young ladies and the way that they have been able to battle and compete, considering the circumstances, because basketball requires practice. I don’t care how talented or good you think you are.”
Anyiah Murphy added 12 points and five rebounds for the Nubians, who had a team total of 50 boards in the game. They will go on to a regional semifinal to face the Shelby district winner, Williard, on Wednesday at Lexington.
The loss, while ending the current season, will provide the Pirates with one of their biggest sources of motivation in the offseason and AAU basketball.
“Oh yeah, definitely,” Bertke said. “I want that win so bad. We will start working right through the summer. All of us will. We always do. It’s super exciting because we have five starters coming back, and the younger kids coming up will be better.”
