The Cordell Blue Devils started their week off strong on Senior Night, with their second defeat of Navajo for the season. After closely trailing the Indians for three quarters, Cordell’s boys put on a burst of scoring in the final period to claim the 62-58 win.
The game was a very hard-fought affair, with both teams having a deep knowledge of the other’s strengths and weaknesses. Navajo jumped out to the early lead, ending the first quarter up by a bucket. Cordell cut that twopoint lead in half during the second quarter, trailing by just one going into halftime. The tight battle continued into the second half, as the teams fought back and forth on both sides of the ball. As the fourth quarter started, the score was deadlocked at 41-41.
The Blue Devils came out fighting in the fourth, though. Gaige Keister reeled off 11 unanswered points before Navajo responded and closed the gap. As the clock wound its way to zero, Cordell’s Carsen Nickel put away clutch free throws and kept the Blue Devils atop the scoreboard.
“It was a typical conference game for us,” said head coach Brandon Gallagher. “We finally made some plays in the fourth quarter to get the win. I was really happy for my seniors to make some plays at the end to put the game away. Gaige really caught fire there and Carsen hit the clinching free throws.”
On Friday, the Blue Devils made the trek south to face the Cyclones of Snyder. After a strong first half, the Snyder defense took over and shut Cordell’s boys down to take the 61-44 win.
The Blue Devils started hot against the Cyclones, claiming a 17-16 lead at the end of the first quarter. Defense was the name of the game in the second quarter, as the Blue Devils managed 11 points while holding Snyder to just eight, extending their lead to 28-24 as the teams retired to the locker room at the half.
Snyder’s halftime defensive adjustments proved to be successful, as the Cyclones went on a 23-10 run in the third quarter to claim a 47-38 lead after the third period. The Cyclones kept up the pressure in the fourth quarter, holding the Blue Devils to just six points while scoring 14 of their own to claim the victory.
“I thought we did a good job in the first half,” Gallagher said. “They did a good job of shutting us down in the second half. We definitely had too many turnovers and bad possessions.”
The Blue Devils end the regular season on the road against Frederick on Tuesday, Feb. 18, and then travel to Walters for district play on Friday.