Abbey Price, left, of North Union goes up for a shot past a Cardington defender on Thursday. Price tallied 10 points in the Lady Cats’ 63-36 loss. (Journal-Tribune photo by Sam Dillon)
There are times when a team can give all it has and it still will not be enough to walk away with a win.
For the North Union girls basketball squad, Thursday’s contest against the state-ranked (No. 2 in Division III) Lady Pirates of Cardington was that type of game.
The Lady Cats gave everything they had, but couldn’t find a way to come out on top as they fell 63-36.
The opening quarter was the true tale of the game.
Cardington opened up with an intense press that notched numerous steals and forced turnovers.
The Pirates ran out to a 12-0 lead within the first two minutes of the contest.
North Union couldn’t get to the rim at all in the first four minutes of the game, leading to a 24-0 run by Cardington.
The Lady Cats scored their only points in the first eight minutes when Taran Moran buried a three pointer from the corner.
That shot came with less than a minute left in the opening stanza.
The Pirates took a 26-3 lead into the second quarter.
Cardington’s defense retreated to half court in the second quarter, giving the Lady Cats a little breathing room on the inbounds pass.
The Lady Pirates sprang a trap on NU, which led to more turnovers.
Cardington also trapped North Union shooters waiting in the wings, which provided even more offense for Cardington.
In all, the Lady Pirates tallied 19 steals, while North Union gave the ball away 23 times.
The Lady Cats were able to move the scoreboard in the second quarter.
Moran dialed in another three-pointer, while Jordyn Hoffman also found the mark from beyond the arc.
Abbey Price drove the lane for a pair of layups that helped NU net 10 points in the second set.
The Lady Pirates, though, took a 38-13 lead into the locker room.
The Lady Cats stepped up their defensive pressure in the third quarter.
That slowed down the Lady Pirates’ offense.
At the other end of the floor, NU became more aggressive on drives to the hoop.
Audrey Benedict landed a layup and later found herself at the line where she sent one-for-two.
Price went to the rim for a basket and also hit two free throws during the set.
Cardington, however, widened its lead to 54-23 by the end of the period.
The Lady Cats dialed in more offense during the final eight minutes.
Moran buried her third trey, while Hoffman landed her second.
Kohler and Price each picked up a basket on drives to the hoop.
Benedict made one more trip to the foul line where she went one-of-two to help give NU 13 points in the quarter.
The Lady Cats are now 10-10 on the season after losing their third consecutive game.
NU will host Northwestern on Saturday.
Cardington
Kar. Edwards 5-4-17, Harwick 7-0-16, Linkous 5-2-12, Kam. Edwards 2-1-6, Bertke 1-2-4, Scurlock 1-1-4, Artz 1-0-2, Spires 1-0-2. Totals: 23-10-63
Three-point goals: Kar. Edwards 3, Hardwick 2, Kam. Edwards 1, Scurlock 1.
North Union
Moran 4-0-11, Price 4-2-10, Benedict 2-2-7, Hoffman 2-0-6, Kohler 1-0-2. Totals: 13-4-36.
Three-point goals: Moran 3, Hoffman 2, Benedict 1