Cardinals start with seven wins
MARTIN COUCH Sports editor

LADY CARDINAL KEVIN NAGLE PHOTO The Harmony Grove Lady Cardinals are looking to get a win.

Harmony Grove basketball is 7-1 on the season after taking their first defeat of the season on Friday night at Abundant Life.

The Cardinals improved to 7-0 with a 55-52 victory at Sparkman earlier in the week.

Colton McDaniels led The Cardinals with 15 points, while Jeremy Hall added 12. Matt Sanford and Zac Morgan both had eight points. Trey Gibeault and Brandon Nash each scored six points in the win.

Harmony Grove trailed 18- 7 after the first quarter, then came back with an 18-point second quarter. The Cardinals outscored Sparkman 30-18 in the second half, but didn't take the lead until the end of the game.

"This was not our best game by any means," said Harmony Grove head coach Richard Moore. "We were down by 17 halfway through the first quarter. I was proud of the way the boys fought back. That showed a lot of heart.

"The key for this win was our defense," Moore continued. "We were able to put pressure on the ball without fouling and they were unable to get in rhythm on offense in the second half."

COACHING KEVIN NAGLE PHOTO Harmony Grove Lady Cardinals head coach Brad Matthews.

Harmony Grove Cardinals were 6-0 on the season after beating Lisa Academy 55- 39.

"At times we looked good on both ends of the floor," said Cardinals head coach Richard Moore. "Offensively we did a good job against their man defense. It feels good to be 6-0, but our toughest games are still ahead of us. We need to stay focused and keep improving from game to game."

Harmony Grove held a four point lead after the first quarter 12-7, but opened up a 30-11 halftime lead on defense. The Cardinals outscored Lisa Academy 15-10 in the third quarter to keep a double-digit lead.

McDaniels led Harmony Grove with 23 points, while Gibeault and Jarrod Warford had seven points each.