The Times - Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley

WAITSBURG -- The WP Cardinal basketball team lost their season opener against the Pilot Rock Rockets last Tuesday night, 46-43.

It was a fast-paced game with a lot of intensity as the Cardinals switched their gears from football to basketball after just one full day of practice.

The short transition left its mark as the Cardinals racked up 23 team fouls and shot only 28% from the field. With 2:38 left in the first quarter, the Cards were up 8-5, but missed five straight shots before knocking the ball out of bounds and turning it over to the Rockets.

The Rockets answered with a three-pointer to tie it up, but Cardinals Sterling Eastman, Zach Bartlow, and Eshom Estes each threw up a bucket for a 14-8 lead to end the first quarter.

The Cardinals racked up 11 fouls in the third quarter. Offensively, Eastman landed back-to-back three-point shots to spark some Cardinal offense and the Cardinals took a 34-31 lead after three quarters.

The fourth quarter was a see-saw battle with Bartlow hitting back-to-back buckets to give the Cards a 43-41 lead with 1:42 left in the game.

A missed three-point shot by Dalton Estes and a field goal from the Rockets tied the game at 43 with 21 seconds left.

Bartlow was fouled as he drove to the basket on the Cards next possession, but missed his free throw. The Rockets rebounded for a fast break, but Dalton Estes broke up the break and deflected the pass out of bounds with 5.6 seconds left.

The Rockets inbounded the ball and worked it inside before dishing it back out to the threepoint line where the ball met nothing but net at the buzzer and the Cardinals fell to the Rockets, 46-43.

Bartlow led the Cards with 14 points and 20 rebounds. Eastman tallied 11 points and Dustin Wooderchak added seven.

The Cardinals next matchup is Friday Dec. 9 in North Powder at 6:30 p.m.