Prior Game
The Highland Cardinal's conference game on Friday night (1/6/2023) against the Benton Zephyrs was a great night for basketball. Highland entered the matchup with a record of 3-5 overall and 1-1 in conference, while Benton entered with a 7-2 overall record and 1-1 in conference.
Wes Kraisinger attempts his signature hook shot.
The game started with an early push by Benton, who shot and made their first 3 shots beyond the arc. Highland managed to stay in the game with some key shots and not letting Benton's lead extend past 8 points the entire game. A late surge by the Cardinals allowed them to eventually take a 3 point lead by the end of the first half. The first 12 minutes of the second half brought back-and-forth scoring, with neither team making any progress in extending or diminishing the Cardinal's lead for an extended amount of time. At around the 4 minute mark Benton proceeded to tie the game, calling a timeout immediately after to organize their late-game push. However, that was there last score other than a garbage-time bucket, as Highland closed the game with a couple of good shots in the paint, forcing Benton to foul in order to conserve time. The Cardinals made a majority of their free throws along with playing solid defense to finish the game. The final score was 63-61 in Highland's favor, being a key win and placing the Cardinals third in the Six Rivers East.
John Dreischmeier fights the defense for a driving shot.