CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA–The Charlottesville Cardinals wheelchair basketball team split a doubleheader with the Sportable Richmond Rimriders today in their season opener, taking the first game 53-31 but faltering in the second match-up and falling to the Richmond squad 57-48.
In the first match, the Cardinals quickly took control and gained a 24-16 halftime advantage. The Cardinals’ Brandon Rush led all scorers with 13 points, followed by Jeremy Smith with 12. Mark Hartney led Rimriders scorers with 12 points.
In the second game the Rimriders built a 6-point edge at halftime, 29-23, behind Matthew Deans 10 first half points. The Cardinals never managed to close the gap and trailed by five with just over a minute to play but the Rimriders made their foul shots at the end to preserve the win, 57-48. The Rimriders Matthew Deans led all scorers with 18 points, and Richmond’s Blake Rush added 13 for the winners. Joey Leavitt led Cardinals’ scorers with 18 points, followed by Gino Wilson and Tom Vandever with 10 apiece, Brandon Rush with 7, and Jeremy Smith with 3.
The 1-1 Cardinals will next compete at the Sportable Invitational Tournament in Richmond, VA the weekend of October 20-22.