Cromwell overcame a rough start in their game against Cook County last Friday and the Cards went on to pick up a 56-50 win.
"We got down 11-1 right away, then we went on a 22-2 run to go up 23-13," said Cards coach Bill Pocernich. "After that run we hurt ourselves with turnovers and missed shots in the half court."
Cromwell took a 29-23 halftime lead into the locker room and found a way to stave off the Vikings during a wild second half of play.
"After we went on the run to take the lead, we led the rest of the way, but they fought hard and had it down to a one-possession game more than once in the last five minutes," recalled Pocernich. "John Ammesmaki and Jordan Johnson continue to lead us."
Ammesmaki finished with an 18-point night and Johnson added 13, Logan Schifflet scored 12, Cody Hendrickson recorded eight and Tyler Burgraff scored five points.
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"We have been struggling since the second week of January. I can't put my finger on exactly why," explained Pocernich. "Turnovers have hurt us offensively, as has the fact that we've had our starting lineup intact for only six of our 13 games."
The Cardinals have shown small steps in improvement, but Pocernich is concerned that it won't be enough with a strong schedule coming right around the corner.
"We need to significantly improve our overall play and consistency very soon," said Pocernich. "We are getting close to playing at the level we were right after Christmas, but we aren't quite there yet. We need to get back to that level and then continue to build."
Pine Journal sports reporter Kerry Rodd can be contacted at: kdrodd@aol.com .
