.jpg)
The Columbus Cardinals and the Columbus Lady Cardinals have been eliminated from playoff contention in their respective brackets.
The Cards made it to the Area Round of the playoffs before falling to Marion, while the Lady Cards made it all the way to the Regional Finals before being eliminated by Bishop.
Cards
Starting off with the Cards, they came into the playoffs with a full head of steam and a ton of confidence in their game. They had just won the District Championship with a staggering 13-1 record.
They dominated their district schedule with a fast and aggressive style of play that allowed them to stack wins. Then they entered playoffs and matched up with Karnes City and like they did in their district games, the Cards dominated.
They won the Bi-District Championship with a statement 21-point win as they defeated Karnes City 55-34. Then the Cards ran into the Marion Bulldogs and like the Cards, they also dominated their district schedule.
Marion was a very quality team, and they took the game right to the Cards and played with the fast and aggressive style that the Cards usually play with. Marion is known for their scoring as they averaged around 60+ points a game and in the Area Round it was no different.
They jumped out to an early lead and carried it throughout the game while defensively Marion shut down the paint area. The Cards do a lot of their damage inside the paint offensively, so when Marion shut them down it zapped their offense and the Cards scored only 25 points.
This loss ended the Cards season, but they are hungry for more next season and with their Head Coach Chris Carruthers gaining a ton of experience in his first year as the Cards bench boss, the Cards will be back next season with a chip on their shoulder.
Lady Cards
The Lady Cards season also ended recently, but they made it all the way to the Regional Final. They were only one win away from being int he State Tournament but unfortunately, they ran into a strong Bishop team that sent them home.
Coming into the playoffs, the Lady Cards had yet another strong season capturing the District Championship with a 13-1 record. They also posted a very impressive 31-7 overall record, winning 81% of their games this season.
Then entering the playoffs, the Lady Cards continued to play at a high level. They met Luling in the Bi-District Championship game, and the Lady Cards secured a 78-36 victory to move onto the next round.
In the Area Round the Lady Cards’ domination continued as they took on Hondo with the Area Championship on the line. The Lady Cards came away with a 59-38 win to win the Area Championship to add a third championship to their list of accomplishments this season.
In the Regional Semi-Finals, the Lady Cards defeated London with a score of 57-52 to advance to the Regional Finals. Then they ran into Bishop who had a very successful season up to this point as well.
Bishop jumped out to an early 18-8 lead in the first quarter, and they never gave that lead back up. The Lady Cards outscored Bishop in the third quarter but that was not enough to get them back into the game and Bishop came away with the win.
The Lady Cards still have a lot of young talent on their roster and next season they will return hungry for more when they take the court in 2026-27.
