CROWN POINT | E.C. Central opened the boys basketball game fast, then did just enough to fend off a pesky Crown Point team 66-56 in a matinee Saturday.
The Cardinals (8-5) scored 29 points in the first quarter, 23 of which came from the sharpshooting of Hyron Edwards (13) and Anfernee Brown (10).
E.C. combined to hit six 3-pointers in the first eight minutes. Edwards was responsible for three of those shots.
"For a while, we were always digging a hole to start things off and had to fight," Cardinals coach Abe Brown said, "so, it was good to get off to a good start and hopefully that's a sign that we're going in the right direction."
Edwards finished with 20 points and seven assists, while Brown added 15 points.
"We had to change some things up, not so much to stop them, but we just had to take them out of their zone a little bit, try to break up their rhythm," Bulldogs coach Clint Swan said. "Brown and Edwards were Brown and Edwards."
C.P. (4-9) didn't go away quickly, though. The Cardinals' lead hovered around 10 points for most of the contest, but the Bulldogs cut it to six twice in the final five minutes. Tom Bardeson scored 21 points and Crown Point rebounded to stay alive in the second half.
"We just let the lead get too comfortable," Edwards said. "I think everybody's tired and sore and stuff."
The win extends E.C. Central's winning streak to five games, all of which were played in a span of 10 days.
"It feels a lot better (than earlier in the season)," Brown said. "We had three or four guys that played football so a lot of our guys are just starting to get basketball legs under them."
Jeremiah Ochoa scored 12 for the Cardinals, while Bardeson added five assists and Nick Jeffirs pitched in 13 points for the Dogs.
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