PHILADELPHIA, PA–The Charlottesville Cardinals wheelchair basketball team fell short in the championship game at the Carousel House tournament today, falling to the 3rd-ranked NY Rollin’ Knicks 73-44.
The Cardinals advanced to the championship game by knocking off the Keystone Royals 45-38 in the semi-final round Sunday morning.
Against Keystone, the Cardinals quickly fell behind 6-0 before taking the lead 10-8 midway through the first half and Charlottesville never relinquished the lead after that point, taking a 27-18 into the half and eventually claiming a 45-38 win.
The thin Cardinals’ lineup was reinforced by Mike Looney today, who led all scorers with 19 points, followed by Brandon Rush with 10, Jacob Tyree with 6, Tom Vandever with 5, Joey Leavitt with 3, and Allen Champagne with 2.
In the championship game, the Knicks’ Patrick Anderson immediately found the range for three three-pointers in the first half en route to scoring 38 points on the game. The Cardinals remained scrappy throughout the first half and trailed 35-24 at halftime but couldn’t maintain the pace in the second period, finally falling to the Knicks 73-44.
Mike Looney led Cardinals’ scorers with 20 points, followed by Tom Vandever with 14, Joey Leavitt with 4, and Brandon Rush, Jacob Tyree, and Allen Champagne with 2 apiece. The Knicks Patrick Anderson led all scorers with 38 points.
Brandon Rush received the “Top Scorer” award for the tournament.
The 11th-ranked Cardinals are now 21-11 on the season and will be playing in the National Wheelchair Basketball Association’s Championship tournament in Louisville, Kentucky on April 16th-19th.