LocalSportsJournal.com
BIG RAPIDS — Mason County Eastern made the trip Thursday night to face Big Rapids Crossroads Academy in a West Michigan D League girls basketball game and came away with a 51-38 loss.
The Cardinals trailed 11-8 after the first quarter. Both teams scored nine points in the second, which left the Cougars holding a 20-17 lead at the half.
Eastern was outscored 23-11 in the third quarter and went into the fourth period down by 15 points, 43-28. The Cardinals had a 10-8 edge in the final eight minutes.
“It was a hard-fought battle,” said Cardinals coach Jake Smith. “Crossroads hit some 3s tonight and that was the difference in the game.
“They had a strong third quarter, and we struggled to keep pace,” Smith said. “Olivia Wing played well for us tonight defensively. Janessa Alvesteffer had a strong game inside, working hard for every bucket.”
Alvesteffer led the Cardinals with 14 points, followed by Wing with seven. Maria Gomez-Jimenez and Kaitlyn Mikovich scored six apiece.
With the loss, Eastern fell to 7-7 overall and 6-5 in the conference. The Cardinals host Brethren in a league matchup on Thursday night.
