Game Notes: Albion College @ North Central College (12/15/15)

Final Score
NCC 77, Albion 63

Game Summary
It was a very quick first half that started even, but the Cardinals (3-3) started strong down low to jump to an early lead. The Britons (4-3) had some trouble early, falling behind by double figures just six minutes into the game. They started to hit shots though and worked their way back into the game, using a 7-0 run to turn a 10 point game into a one possession deficit. The Cardinals scored the final five points of the half, however, and took a 37-29 lead into the break. Albion came out strong in the second half but the Cardinals made baskets to answer every attempted run. They then stood strong on defense to shut down the Britons and got to the basket to finish it off.

Key Stats

• Alex Sorenson (NCC): 10-15 FG (2-3 3PT); 22 pts, 7 reb (1 off), 2 ast, 1 stl, 3 blk. I said to the official scorer right before tip off that we had an edge in size, and Sorenson proceeded to score 11 of the Cardinals' first 13 points, dominating in the post. Foul trouble and adjustments slowed him down, and due to that foul trouble he only played 21 minutes. That's terrifying to consider what he could have done without the foul trouble.
• Jagger Anderson (NCC): 9-12 FG (1-2 3PT), 2-2 FT; 21 pts, 5 reb, 2 ast. With Sorenson in foul trouble, Anderson helped take over the game with a sublime offensive performance. He hit a number of circus shots, including a pair of and-ones to help put the game away.
• Connor Raridon (NCC): 5-7 FG, 6-9 FT; 16 pts, 5 reb (2 off), 3 ast. Other than missing all three freebie attempts after getting fouled on a corner three, the freshman had a fantastic second half. He only had four points at the intermission, but got more confident as the game went along, including a nice post up basket that I'm pretty sure head coach Todd Raridon had a little "proud dad" look in his eyes.

Final Thoughts
This was a tough one for Albion before the game even started; they came into Tuesday night on the back end of a back-to-back after losing at North Park on Monday. It may have contributed to the slow start.

I was talking after the game with former Cardinal Derek Raridon and freelance Tribune writer and NCC alum Paul Johnson about this team, and we are amazed at the sheer depth; this squad goes eight or nine deep with legitimate players. It has us excited for conference play; I touched on it a bit in my season preview, but the CCIW is going to be a bloodbath this year. I can't wait.

The Cardinals are escaping Illinois just in time to avoid the cold, as they play in a tournament in Miami this weekend, but return home on Tuesday to face seventh-ranked Benedictine. The Battle of Chicago Avenue is always tough, and the Eagles are off to their best start in recent memory. It's easily their best season since 2010-11.

I have one more game this week in the meantime, as the Benedictine women come to face The System Thursday night for my final dose of yelling "THREEEEEEEEE!" a ton for 2015. If you're in the Naperville area and want something to do, come on out and support this Cardinal team.