The Bishop Ireton High School varsity boys basketball team played in the 40th Annual Sunkist Shootout Tournament in Lafayette, La., last month. Despite a flight cancellation, the team made it just in time for their first game after a 20-hour bus ride.
In the first round, the Cardinals took on a very talented Lafayette Christian Academy team led by the number one junior in the state, 6’8” Kam Williams. Williams scored 15 of his team’s 20 first half points and proved to be a tough cover. However, after the Cardinals’ tired legs wore off, they imposed their will and took the victory with a 59-36 win.
The next day, the Cardinals played Southside High School out of Lafayette. They were a hard-nosed and scrappy team and Ireton was still recovering from the long bus ride, but they hung on for a close game and finished with a 43-42 win.
Ireton faced the number one team in the state of Louisiana, Isidore Newman School, in the semifinal. The school is famous for a few of its alumni including Peyton Manning, Eli Manning and Odell Beckham Jr. The game was close early on, but fouls proved to be costly for the Cardinals. Newman jumped out to an early lead that ballooned to 26 points. A strong second half saw the Cardinals cut the lead to as little as nine points but Ireton eventually fell 57-44.
The next day, the team played for third place. The Cardinals regrouped and came out strong on defense and were motivated to get another win. Deshaun Caesar, one the best players in the state of Louisiana, finished with a tournament high 37 points the night before and the Cardinals knew they would have to do a great job of defending him. The Cardinals held Ceasar to 13 points for the game and took home the win by a score of 61-45.
The Ireton girls basketball team competed in the Boo Williams Holiday Tournament, held in Hampton last month. They opened the tournament with a 57-41 victory over Norview High School from Norfolk and were led by Nyla Brooks and Amirah Anderson with 13 points each. Round two saw the Cardinals take on Manchester from Midlothian, Va. After a hard-fought game, Ireton came out on top 67-60 to advance to the championship in the competitive gold bracket. Ireton was led by Saniyah King who had 20 points in the win.
In the championship game, Ireton came up just short of a victory, ultimately falling to Riverdale Baptist School from Upper Marlboro, Md., 61-57. The team took home the silver medal, and Saniyah King and Nyla Brooks were selected for the All-Tournament team.
