Cardinals open flood gates
with 19-2 second quarter
It was the third time the two schools have met in the past two years. Twice in the in the H.I.S.D. Tournament formerly known as the Jaycees. If there was any indication of what was to be expected after seeing the Cardinals escape the championship game with a 2 point victory, which watched the Rams rally fall short when time expired.
The Bellaire Cardinals (34-1), the No. 1 class 5A team in the state, overwhelmed the Elsik Rams 85-40 Monday night in the night cap of a double header played at the Campbell center. The lost snapped a Ram’s 17 game winning streak. With the win, the Cardinals advance to the class 5A region III semifinals to face Fort Bend Travis Friday at the Campbell Center. Travis defeated district rival Elkins 56-51 to reach the semifinals.
“I thought Coach Glover did a much better job of getting his kids ready for this situation. They came out early, hit us in the mouth, we didn’t respond until early in the third quarter, by then we were so far down until we just couldn’t get that fight we needed to get back in the game. We never got into the flow tonight and we haven’t played like that since November,” Elsik Coach Tim Martin said.
The game was all but over after the first quarter in which Bellaire led 15-9 after the first quarter.
Bellaire’s pressure defense led to the Rams disaster. They outscored Elsik 19-2 in the second quarter. Toby Oyedeji was a presents inside for the Cardinals with eight blocks, seven coming in the first half.
A 23 point lead closed out the second quarter, 34-11 in the Cardinals favor.
The Cardinals continued their relentless pressure in the third and fourth quarter.
“The last time we played them we won by one point in the H.I.S.D. Tournament. They were supposed to be the only 5A team to beat us, according to what people were saying. We’re just going to stay focus and take it one game at a time,” Bellaire’s Guard Sheldon McClellan said.
Sheldon McClellan led Bellaire with 25 points and Sebastian Douglas had 21.
