The Big Rapids Cardinals battled but lost to Kenowa Hills in a back-and-forth battle Saturday afternoon by a final score of 61-53.

Early minutes saw the score go back and forth between the two teams, but a late run of three-point shots gave the hometown Knights a run at the end of the first to grab a 19-11 advantage. Gabe Njenga responded in the second quarter knocking down some key shots, including a couple through contact, to get the Cardinals back close. A late Kenowa Hills run off a few Cardinal turnovers gave the Knights a seven-point lead at the half.

Big Rapids came out aggressive in the second half, led by opening buckets from Ty Gielczyk and Liam McLaughlin. The Cardinal defense also stepped up, forcing the Knights to shoot some tough shots against alternating defenses each possession. Big Rapids would trail 42-39 at the end of the third but would flip in front early in the fourth following a three from Cole Haist and a layup from Njenga. Unfortunately for Cardinal fans, a 7-0 run out of a Big Rapids timeout would get the Knights back in front. The deficit would be only four with two minutes to go, but free throw makes from Kenowa Hills and three-point misses from Big Rapids would end the contest at an eight-point margin.

Njenga led the Cardinal scoring with 24 points, followed by Gielcyk with nine, Cole Haist adding eight, and McLaughlin tallying seven. The loss puts Big Rapids 6-2 entering the holiday hiatus, including a 4-1 clip at home and 2-1 mark on the road. The Cardinals will return to action at home on Friday, Dec. 10 at 7:00 P.M. against conference foe Newaygo. Pre-game coverage will begin at 6:30 P.M. on 1460 AM, 96.5 FM, WBRN.com, and the WBRN mobile app.