The 2002 2003 boys varsity basketball team entered the season with a number two ranking in the Omaha World Herald. Unfortunately the number two ranking would not last for long. On opening night the boys lost to the Clearwater Cardinals by 19 points. Then they turned right around the next night and pounded the Orioles of Orchard. Ranked number eight in the State the boys won seven straight. Then they dropped two straight against the Ewing Tigers and the Spencer-Naper Pirates.

With an 8-3 record the Cardinal boys traveled to Stuart and beat the Broncos only to take a trip up north to Lynch and drop a heart breaking 65-68 loss to the Eagles. After the loss the boys traveled to Creighton and defeated the Bulldogs with their sights on a good first round up in Butte in the Niobrara Valley Conference Tournament. With the win over the Santee Warriors the boys turned right around and were eliminated by the Spencer-Naper Pirates.

The regular season came to a close with a win at home over Butte and a thirty-point win at Chambers and a loss at Pope John. The boys then defeated the Stuart Broncos, 55-43, in the first round of the class D-2 sub-districts at Atkinson West Holt. The Cardinals then met Lynch last night in the D-2 sub-district finals and fell to the Eagles 62-73. They ended the 2003 season 13-8 record.

The 2002-2003 boys basketball team consists of freshmen Pat Conway, John Hurley, Will Mahony, John McCarville, Jesse Reiman, Charles Shields, and Tim Shoemaker; lone sophomore Raymond Timmerman; juniors Aaron Jeffrey, Ryan Kelly, Jesse Peetz, and Kevin Ohri; and seniors Jed Givens, Dan Haggerty, Ryan Hickey, Adam Koenig, Kiel Neumann, Mike Simons, and Matt Willis. The boys are coached by Mike Pardun, Mike Kelly, and Roger Weise.