The Cardinal girls had a tough time on the basketball court last week with losses to Wright County Conference rivals Becker and Litchfield, but they were still in the running for a share of the title. After a 51-38 loss to Becker on Tuesday, Feb. 17, and a 42-32 loss to Litchfield on Thursday, Feb. 19, the Cardinals were tied with the Dragons for the top spot in the WCC with identical records of 11-2 and 17-5. Annandale had to win their final conference matchup, set for Tuesday, Feb. 24, against Delano to be WCC champions. Though the Tigers are down from last year, and young, coach Brian Atkinson saw them as a viable threat. But the Cardinals hoped to be back on track by that time. “We weren’t playing our type of game,” Atkinson said of the Feb. 17 game. Annandale trudged through the game, struggling with their shooting and defense. Key defensive player Amanda Opatz was out sick and the Bulldogs took advantage. Becker started off hot, sinking three three-pointers to pull ahead 17-8 by the end of the first quarter of play. By halftime they were up 25-13. The Cardinals outshot Becker 17-11 in the third, but it was an uphill battle all the way, Atkinson said, and Annandale still came out trailing 36-30 going into the fourth. The Cardinals scored only eight points in the final quarter, resorted to fouling, but the Bulldogs bit back with success at the free throw line. “They shut down our inside game and everyone felt the squeeze,” Atkinson said. “Becker is similar to us in size and has good shooters, but we had beaten them earlier,” he said. “But we were playing down and they showed us what they can do.” Jeanette Purcell was high scorer Tuesday night with 14 points against the Bulldogs. Alison Pippo had eight points; Alisha Doppenberg had five; Sarah Vogt had four; Jillian Maki had three; Mary Jo Geldert and Natalie Naaktgeboren had two each. Annandale played a similar game on Thursday against the Dragons. Litchfield challenged the Cardinals, who were playing tight anyway coming off a disappointing loss, with a strong man-to- man defense. Annandale started out on top, ending the first quarter 8-5, but by halftime they were down 18-16. Though the Cardinals’ defense was much improved over Tuesday night’s game, the Dragons still managed to put up more buckets. The third quarter was tight, ending with Annandale down by only a point. Then, with five minutes left in the fourth, Litchfield sunk two three-pointers to pull ahead by seven points, the biggest lead of the night, and the Cardinals saw their chances of winning grow dim. “We couldn’t answer (their seven-point lead) so we had to foul and they hit their free throws,” Atkinson said. Opatz and Pippo were high scorers with 11 points each; Maki had five; Doppenberg and Naaktgeboren each had two and Janelle Larson had one. Now the only way Annandale could win the conference outright would be if Litchfield lost to Glencoe-Silver Lake and Annandale beat Delano. If both Annandale and Litchfield won, they would share the title. On Thursday, Feb. 26, the Cardinals will travel to Long Prairie for a non-conference, non-section game against the Thunder. The game starts at 7:30. Section 4AAA playoffs begin Thursday, March 4. Atkinson anticipates being the No. 1 seed, which would mean the Cardinals would play the first section game at home.
