Robbie Bruncak stepped up when Cardinal needed him most.
The 5-foot-10 junior scored 16 of his game-high 29 points in the fourth quarter as the Huskies held off visiting Pymatuning Valley on Tuesday, 85-81.
“He had a big game,” said Cardinal coach Jon Cummins. “He played very well pretty much the whole game, but when he made the big jump there was in the fourth quarter when we needed it.”
The Huskies, who improved to 8-10 overall, trailed the Lakers at halftime, 41-36, but after adjusting the Pymatuning’s size, the Huskies took a one point lead into the fourth.
“We came out ready to play in the second half,” Cummins said. “We played better team basketball and had a lot more assists. We were getting out and running it and moving the ball around.”
Bruncak finished the game 11-of-15 from the floor and drained 3-of-6 3-point tries in scoring 16 of Cardinal’s 23 fourth-quarter points.
“It was a great overall win for us and we deserved it,” Bruncak said. “My teammates are always keeping their head up for the open man and they kept finding me. Once I got the hot hand, they kept dishing me the ball and moving out of the way.”
Bruncak also pulled down eight rebounds in the win.
Robbie Mulh contributed with 20 points and seven rebounds and Hayden Cummins finished with nine points and a team-high 15 boards. Matt Carney also scored in double figures with 11 points. He blocked three shots and he tied teammate Brice Hogue with a team-high four assists.
“This was a good overall team win for us,” Coach Cummins said. “I’m happy with what we were able to accomplish. It was a big win right before the tournament draw. They’re in our district as well, so hopefully, we’ll get a good seed.”
Cardinal hosts Cuyahoga Heights on Friday.
