CONSOLATION Both Orrick varsity basketball teams were relegated to the consolation bracket of last week’s I-70 Conference Tournament, hosted by Santa Fe and Sweet Springs. The Orrick boys finished sixth.After opening Dec. 6 with a 67-51 loss to St. Paul Lutheran of Concordia, they won their Dec. 8 consolation semifinal meeting with Sweet Springs, 42-38. They fell to Crest Ridge 58-55 Dec. 9 in the fifth-place game. The Bearcats “gave up too many points in the first half” against Crest Ridge, Orrick boys coach Joe Cusack stated Tuesday by email. Specifically, they yielded 39 points and trailed by 10 at halftime, Cusack stated. But they played better during the second half, eventually taking the lead during the fourth quarter, he commented. “We were simply unable to extend our lead beyond one point and had several opportunities to do that,” Cusack wrote. Overall, Orrick “made progress as a team” during the tournament, according to Cusack. “I like the direction we are headed,” he…