The St. Mary's Cardinals basketball squad (O'Neill, NE), was outscored 43-35 in Thursday's non-league battle with the visiting Elgin/Pope John Wolfpack (Elgin, NE)

With the victory, Elgin/Pope John advances its record to 11-1 on the year. The Wolfpack host Bloomfield (Bloomfield, NE) to meet the Bees in a D1 District 3 battle on Saturday, January 10. The Bees enter the battle with a record of 10-0. Bloomfield won 63-35 in their recent non-league battle against Hartington-Newcastle (Hartington, NE)

In their next game, the Cardinals battle the Ainsworth Bulldogs (Ainsworth, NE) in a non-league challenge, on Friday, January 9. St. Mary's will attempt to better on its 2-9 season record. The Bulldogs enter the match with a 3-9 record after their 43-35 non-league win over Burwell (Burwell, NE).