A heartbreaking loss closed out the regular season for sixth-seventh grade boys basketball at Cardozo Middle School in Riverbank last week.

The home game found the Little Eagles down 26-24 at the buzzer against Somerset of Modesto.

A similar fate awaited the Eagles’ eighth grade team. They were down 33-31 at the end of the third quarter in the Feb. 17 contest. They weren’t able to pull out the game and ended the season with the loss.

Just the day before, on Tuesday, Feb. 16, CMS had another home game, against Ustach Middle School, also in the Sylvan Union School District, which, ironically, includes the southwest corner of Riverbank, south of the MID canal. That means Cardozo players could have been playing against Riverbank neighbors from the Crossroads area.

CMS Athletic Director Jeff Warn said both Eagle teams were victorious on that Tuesday.

Those games closed out the regular season for the middle school hoop squads.

Then, the three game Mid Valley Athletic League Tournament, Feb. 23-25, saw mixed results for CMS post-season play.

Warn reported that “Cardozo’s sixth and seventh grade team got hot and made their way to the championship” with consecutive victories over Oakdale and Ustach, before losing to undefeated Salida. They ultimately took home a second place league trophy.

The eighth grade team, however, didn’t fare as well.

Eighth graders suffered consecutive losses to open the tournament against Salida and Modesto Christian, Warn said, crushing their hopes for a trophy.