Orangefield swats Cardinals

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Orangefield swats Cardinals

Van Wade

The Orange Leader

ORANGEFIELD — It didn’t take long for the Orangefield Bobcats to find their stride against arch-rival Bridge City Friday night at Bobcat Gym.

The Bobcats utilized an 18-0 spurt in the first quarter and never looked back as they cruised to a 72-28 District 21-3A victory over the Cardinals.

Every Bobcats scored at least seven points in the win and Orangefield outrebounded the Cardinals 40-17.

“This was a good win for us and the best thing about it is that all the kids contributed,†said Orangefield head coach Rea Wrinkle. “We really got things accomplished on the defensive end. Once Bridge City got a shot up, they didn’t get many second opportunities because we hit the boards so well.â€

The Cardinals (1-21, 0-9) led the game 4-0 after four free throws but the Bobcats took off with the next 18 points and led 18-6 at the end of the first period.

Senior Brett Ramsey paced the Bobcats (13-10, 4-5) in the first period, tallying six of his team-high 13 points. Ramsey finished with a double-double by adding 11 rebounds.

The Cardinals didn’t rack up their first field goal until the 5:58 mark in the second quarter as Cody Eldridge scored on a slashing drive. The Bobcats went on to outscore Bridge City 12-5 in the second period to grab a comfortable 30-11 halftime edge.

Ramsey scored five points in the third, including hitting a falling away three-pointer that he banked and freshman Zach Hayes scored four of his 11 points in the period as Orangefield went on a 19-6 jaunt in the quarter to go up 49-17 heading to the fourth.

The Bobcats put the finishing touches on the win with a 23-11 spurt in the final eight minutes.

The Bobcats got excellent production from their forward with Stefan Addison punching in 10 points and snagging seven rebounds. Ben Ludwig had 10 points and five boards and Devin Green contributed nine points and five rebounds. Post Jeremy Granger had five points and a game-high 12 rebounds and guards Ryan Granger and Jared Helton tallied seven points apiece.

Guard Dustin Breaux had a solid game for Bridge City, scoring 10 points while Jaden Dillon added seven. Jake Viator led the Cardinals with four rebounds.

The Cardinals finished 14-of-19 from the free-throw line while the Bobcats went 14-of-22. Bridge City turned the ball over 17 times while Orangefield committed just nine.

“We really played sound basketball tonight and I think the kids are looking forward to finishing up the season strong with five games left,†Wrinkle said. “The competition will get stiffer, especially in those last four games but I know the kids will compete hard, they always do.â€

The Bobcats look to stay hot Tuesday when they take a road trip to Hamshire-Fannett while the Cardinals look to bounce back home against Kirbyville.