Host Cardinals take 3rd in Miller Invitational behind three-point barrage

A win over Fair Play on Saturday secured a third-place finish for the Miller Cardinals in the annual Miller Invitational.
It has been 13 years since the Cardinals last won their home tournament and they looked to break the streak last week starting with Jasper in the opening round. It was a slow start for the Cardinals as only three buckets fell in the opening quarter. Fortunately, they were all worth three points and that would set the tone for the week. Freshman Owen Weiss hit two and sophomore Jarod Lung hit one more but Jasper would hold a 11-9 lead after one. The second quarter was defended better from Miller as they held Jasper to just six points while senior Alex Pennington got seven points to fall himself, including a three. Weiss also hit one and the Cardinals took a 21-17 lead into the half.
The three pointers rained down in the second half as Weiss hit two more in the third along with one from Pennington and Lung would shut it down as the Cardinals hit nine deep balls in a 52-35 win over Jasper. Weiss led the team with 24 points followed by 10 from Pennington.
Up next was a SWC rival Sarcoxie who easily bested the Cardinals 43-19.
The third-place game against Fair Play was a fun one as someone warmed up the nets once again. The hot shots from Miller, and their nine three pointers, secured the win, 57-47.  
“I felt like we played with more energy today,” Pennington said following the win. “Even before warmups in the locker room, everyone was more into it and we played more like a team and shots started to fall again.”
Miller improves to 6-7 on the year and will have until Friday to regroup when the Cardinals travel to Spokane to battle the Owls.