Amid a round of applause, one team exited the stadium with their arms in the air while another departed amid the backdrop of a disheartened crowd. However, this year it was not the Cardinals who emerged to claim the spoils of victory.

Lowell’s dream of reclaiming back-to-back championship titles came to an end as the once high-flying Cardinals had their wings clipped by the Mission Bears in the semifinal round of the AAA playoffs on March 3, losing 46-53.  The Bears then clawed their way to the finals and defeated Wallenberg for the championship.

The Bears were heavily favored to win after a blowout game against the Cardinals in the regular season; however, the Cardinals learned from their past mistakes and initially held their own against Mission’s offense. The first quarter proved to be a hotly contested ordeal as neither team opened a lead but by the end of the first half, the Cardinals trailed the Bears 19-22.

The Cardinals struggled to regain their footing against the Bears’ offensive assault in the second half. At one point in the third quarter, Mission opened up a huge 12-point lead as Lowell’s defense failed to halt Mission from driving into the key. The Cardinals responded with a six-point rally and got within a two-point reach of the Bears. However Mission, fired back with an 8-2 run and by the end of the third quarter led the Cardinals 37-30.

In the final quarter, the Cardinals prevented the Bears from opening up another double-digit lead and kept the game within four points. Junior guard Ricco Price led the team with 18 points and senior center Robbie Pollard followed with 11 points.  However a turnover in the last minutes ended the back-and-forth volley and gave Mission its last shot, sealing Lowell’s loss.

Too many turnovers, personal fouls, and missed layups crippled the Cardinals’ ability to catch up. A dismal 1-for-17 at the three-point line also contributed to their defeat.

On Feb. 26, Lowell faced Thurgood Marshall in its first playoff round. The Cardinals expected an easy pickup as they had defeated the Phoenix in the regular season match-up 51-42.   The Cardinals opened strong and ended the first half 19-15. By the third quarter, the Cardinals opened an overwhelming lead over their opponents. Coupled with two three-pointers from  senior guard Kevin Kung and excellent ball handling skills by senior guard Anthony Clay, the dazed Phoenix could not overcome the huge deficit. Kung’s 18 points helped the Cardinals clinch victory, defeating Marshall 56-42.  The game marked the return of Kung, who was out the whole season to date with an arm injury. “It felt great to be back,” Kung said. “I just wanted to get out there and play again.”

On Feb. 19, the Cardinals lost their last regular season game against Wallenberg. The team hoped to redeem themselves after losing to the Bulldogs by four points in their last match. In the end, the Cardinals came up short, losing 35-38. The Cardinals held onto a small lead in the fourth quarter, but a critical turnover in the last minutes gave Wallenberg possession of the ball. A subsequent layup and foul gave the Bulldogs a three-point lead and a last ditch effort by senior guard Kevin Leong to tie the game with a three-point shot failed.

Despite the disappointing end, the Cardinals remain optimistic about their chances of winning the title again next year with talented players such as Price and junior guard Casey Chow leading the team. “I gained good experience learning to run plays,” Chow said. “Getting to play a good number of minutes helped.”

MVP

The Lowell’s choice for MVP is senior center and team captain Robbie Pollard. Throughout the season Pollard led the team in rebounds and his superb defense in the key allowed the team to hold their own against AAA powerhouses Mission, Wallenberg and Washington. Despite suffering an ankle injury toward the end of the season, Pollard continued to dominate the court and was crucial in helping the Cardinal’s victory against Marshall in the semifinals. “Robbie was a good player and led the team well,” Chow said.