GALION, Ohio -- Wednesday’s KMAC matchup featured the state-ranked Cardington Pirates and the Northmor Golden Knights. The previous meeting between these teams was quite different, resulting in a lopsided 47-point Cardington victory. 

In the final seconds of the game senior Beth Hardwick slipped free on the left wing. Off a pass from senior Karsyn Edwards, Hardwick drained the wide open three pointer en route to a 56-53 victory over the Golden Knights. 

Heading into the fourth quarter, Cardington boasted a nine point lead that they maintained through a good chunk of the period. On a drive, senior Lexi Wenger was fouled and sent to the free throw line. In addition to the shooting foul, Cardington was assessed a technical allowing Wenger to attempt four free throws. After sinking all four, the Golden Knights retained possession and senior Paige Caudill made a layup to cut the lead to just four points. 

Northmor continued their comeback with a three from Swihart at the top of the key off a pass from Wenger, cutting the lead to one point by a score of 48-47. Cardignton held the lead and stretched it to four points with under a minute to play off of a basket by Emalee Artz. Swihart connected from three again and Karsyn Edwards drained a free throw to make the score 53-51. Swihart was fouled and headed to the line for two free throws due to Cardington being in the double bonus. 

Swihart made both attempts, tying the game at 53. Cardington brought the ball up the court with just over 23 seconds to play. They were not able to get a shot off until the final seconds when Hardwick hit the game winning dagger from the left wing. 

The first quarter featured four ties and eight lead changes thanks to some impressive three point shooting from both teams. Senior Beth Hardwick was a major force for the Pirates making three layups and sinking a three from the left corner. 

Senior Paige Caudill kept the Golden Knights in the game with two three pointers and sophomore Brooklyn Dennison added a three of her own. Senior Kambry Edwards hit a deep three from the wing just before the end of the quarter giving Cardington a 16-13 lead leading into the second quarter. 

Cardington started the second quarter on a 6-0 run before junior Emily Zeger drained a three pointer. The Pirates continued to increase their lead over the quarter thanks to a distributed offensive effort - Karsyn Edwards, Artz and Mikayla Linkous all scoring in the frame. The Cardington lead swelled to eight before Swihart made a three pointer to pull within four heading into halftime (28-24). 

After a three by Dennison tying the game at 33, Cardington started to take over. Bertke scored four straight points followed by a Golden Knight bucket by Haley Dille. The Pirates finished the quarter with a layup by Hardwick, a transition layup by Bertke and a three pointer by Kambry Edwards. This gave them a nine point lead with one quarter to play. 

Hardwick led the Pirates with 20 and Kambry Edwards added 11. Swihart scored a game high 21 and Caudill supported her with 14. 

Let’s take a look at Wednesday’s top performers.

Beth Hardwick (5’9 F / Cardington / 2022) - Hardwick, a Kentucky Christian commit, played a nearly flawless game Wednesday. She has a high IQ and made some key plays. She has a nose for the ball and is an excellent rebounder on both ends of the floor. She is comfortable playing with her back to the basket in the post and scored on several occasions this way. She makes perfectly timed cuts one of which led to a jumper in the middle of the key. Her most important contribution was her game winner from the left wing. Her three point shot is smooth and accurate. She is a major reason for Cardington’s success.

Kambry Edwards (5’4 G / Cardington / 2022) - Edwards, a Lourdes signee, played a good game  for Cardington. She is a tenacious defender and came up with several important steals in the second half. She was in foul trouble early but settled down in the second half which made a big impact defensively for the Pirates. Edwards has big range from three and sank three Wednesday night. She made some great passes and does a decent job handling the ball.

Dana Bertke (5’8 F / Cardington / 2022) - Bertke, a Cedarville softball commit, is a tremendous athlete and an important part of Cardington’s team. She runs well in transition from rim to rim and scored this way off a behind the back pass from Linkous in the third quarter. She is a consistent rebounder, especially on the defensive end. Bertke’s length and speed make her dangerous on defense and her versatility is an asset on the offensive end. She had a great left handed drive and finish in the third that opened up the floor. She was most effective when throwing skip passes against Northmor’s zone, hitting wide open shooters.

Reagan Swihart (5’9 G / Northmor / 2022) - Swihart was the hero for Northmor Wednesday night. She played nearly every role and impacted every part of the game. She rebounded well, handled the ball when needed, found open teammates who were hitting and scored. She made four three pointers, one of which pulled the Knights within one. Later in the quarter, she drained two free throws to tie the game with just over twenty seconds left. She stepped up in a big way when the Knights needed her.