In the Cardinal Huskies boys’ basketball team’s first season of play in the Northeastern Athletic Conference, they are finding out that there is some stiff competition. The Huskies lost their rematch against league rival Grand Valley 56-29, extending their losing streak to seven games last Friday evening in Middlefield.
Over the course of Cardinal’s (5-15, 4-11) losing streak, it has faced offensive struggles as its latest loss marked the second time in the last four games that they did not score more than 30 points.
After experiencing a difficult start to the season by opening the 2025-26 campaign on a six-game losing streak, Cardinal appeared to be turning things around as it posted a 5-2 record from Dec. 23 to Jan. 16, but have since fallen back on hard times as they are suffering from another losing streak r on the eve on the Ohio High School Athletic Association Division VII playoffs.
On Friday, the Huskies were doomed by a slow start, only scoring two points in the first seven minutes of regulation. The Mustangs raced out to a 22-2 advantage paced by junior forward Carter Turk, who scored 10 points in the first period and fueled a 17-0 run for the Mustangs to seize a firm grip on the lead.
Cardinal’s slow start was compounded with ball security issues, as the Mustangs forced seven turnovers and often scored in transition.
Although the Huskies’ defense stiffened in the second period, allowing only 11 points, it still struggled to mount any consistency on the offensive end, scoring only four points and trailing 35-8 at the half.
The Mustangs continued to roll in the second half, going on a 17- 8 run, increasing their lead to 52-16, triggering the running clock as their lead exceeded 35 points.
In addition to facing stout defense, the Huskies could not knock down many shots from beyond the arc, as they only converted four 3-point baskets while Grand Valley recorded 15 points from beyond the arc.
In addition to posting another losing record for the third straight year, the Huskies’ struggles against league opponents carried over into their new conference as they ended their run in the CVC Valley Division with an 18-game losing streak. Their league losing streak reached 22 games as they lost their first four NAC contests of the season but finally ended the losing streak when they topped league foe Chalker on Dec. 23.
The Huskies still sit at the bottom of their new conference having only collected four victories thus far, but it marks the first season since the 2022-23 when they won a conference game.
Sophomore guard Carson Davis was the Cardinal’s leading scorer, tallying eight points, including knocking down a pair of 3-point baskets, while collecting one rebound.
After a road duel against NAC rival Maplewood on Tuesday evening, Cardinal will close out its regular season by hosting league foe Pymatuning Valley on Feb. 17 at Middlefield at 7 p.m.
