By GENO BOVA
Beakon Staff Writer
The boys basketball team is gearing up for a big week of conference play.
The Cardinals play East at home on Tuesday Jan. 30 and then travel to Chaney to take on the Cowboys on Friday Feb. 2. Because the SVC being wide open right now, these games are a must win for the Cards to stay in contention for at least a piece of the Steel Valley crown.
They currently sit at 1-1 in conference play, finding themselves in a three way race with Chaney (1-1) and Ursuline (4-0). With Ursuline playing both Chaney and Mooney again, all three teams control their own destiny.
Heading into Tuesday, the Cardinals find themselves on a roll, hitting their stride right in the middle of the season. They have won eight of their last 10 and have only faced defeat once in the new year. They’re coming off a 62-51 victory against a tough Canton Central Catholic team behind a 22-point effort from senior Rocco Turner.
The last time Mooney faced off against East was on Jan. 9 when they topped the Golden Bears 51-46. They hope to continue their winning ways against East — this time in front of a home crowd — and carry that momentum into a very important Chaney game on Friday. If the Cardinals can take care of business this week they put themselves in the driver seat on the way to claiming at least a share of the SVC title.