The eighth-ranked Cardinals turned back upset-minded Bossier Parish for a hard-earned 75-64 Region XIV Conference victory Saturday afternoon at Cardinal Gym.

Bossier Parish, which lost 98-52 at home to the Cardinals last month, gave them all they wanted for most of the game. The Cardinals finally pulled away in the final nine minutes to run their record to 20-4. They are 13-3 in conference, leaving them a half-game behind Kilgore with six games remaining. Bossier Parish fell to 9-15 and 3-13.

The Cardinals have two games on the schedule this week. Wednesday, they go to Beeville to play Coastal Bend in a 7:30 p.m. start. Saturday, they travel to Carthage to take on Panola. Game time is 4 p.m.

After battling to a 35-35 standoff at the half, Bossier Parish was still hanging around with 10:32 left in the game, trailing 53-52. But that is when M.J. Wardlow, Armani Henderson and Zati Loubaki took over and helped deliver the Cardinals into the win column. Henderson had 20 points, Wardlow 18 and Loubaki eight, all in the second half.

Braylon Wenger and Derrelle Desire also scored in double digits for the Cardinals with 11 and 10, respectively.

Najee Graham gave the Cardinals quality minutes off the bench and finished with eight.

Elsewhere in the conference, it was Lee 80, Paris 53; Tyler 78, Lamar State-PA 62, Kilgore 63, Blinn 62; Angelina 63, Navarro 62; and Panola 79, Coastal Bend 50.

Here is the Cardinals' remaining schedule:

Feb. 18 – at Coastal Bend

Feb. 21 – at Panola

Feb. 25 – Tyler

Feb. 28 – Lee

March 4 – at Blinn

March 7 – at Lee