Basketball Recap: Cardinal Gibbons Falls Despite Big Games from Miller Kuss and Lilly Kenefick

Cardinal Gibbons was not able to break out of their rough patch on Saturday as the team picked up their fifth straight loss. They lost 69-44 to the East Bladen Eagles. While losing is never fun, the Crusaders can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' North Carolina basketball rankings (they are ranked 351st, while the Eagles are ranked 100th).

Cardinal Gibbons' loss came despite strong showings from Lilly Kenefick and Miller Kuss. Kenefick posted eight points, while Kuss had seven points and five rebounds. That's the most points Kuss has posted since back in February.

NeNe Ward continued her habit of posting crazy stat lines for East Bladen, going 11 of 24 on her way to 29 points along with eight assists and eight steals. The team also got some help courtesy of Laila Smith, who went 5 of 11 on her way to 15 points and eight rebounds.

Cardinal Gibbons' defeat dropped their record down to 3-8. As for East Bladen, they pushed their record up to 10-2 with the victory, which was their sixth straight on the road.

Cardinal Gibbons will get a bit of extra time to process the loss as their next game is a ways off. They'll take on Enloe at 6:00 p.m. on January 10, 2025. As for East Bladen, they will be playing in front of their home fans against Pender at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. East Bladen is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 57.9 points per game this season.