Cashion battles #1s on back-to-back nights
CASHION SENIOR Megan Shafer played a big role in her team hanging tough with Washington last Thursday. Washington is the top-ranked team in Class 3A and is undefeated. Cashion’s four-point loss tied with Washington’s narrowest margin of victory this s
Some teams get to coast into the Christmas holiday.
Cashion went through a buzzsaw.
The Lady Wildcats took on No. 1 teams in back-toback nights last week to wrap up the 2024 portion of their basketball schedule.
And while Cashion didn’t knock off 3A’s No. 1 Washington at home on Thursday or 2A’s No. 1 Dale on the road Friday, coach Andrea Taylor did get the next best thing she was seeking.
“We really did compete well,” said Taylor after her team lost 51-47 to Washington and 48-37 to Dale.
The four-point margin of victory for Washington tied for its smallest of the season as the Lady Warriors improved to 7-0.
The other four-point win? It was a 71-67 victory against Dale a week before.
Cashion got out to a quick start and led 11-5 after a quarter. Washington got its footing in the second frame, but the home team still led by a point at halftime.
A burst by Washington to start the third quarter gave it a lead it wouldn’t give up.
But, also, Cashion wouldn’t go away.
The Lady Wildcats simply just ran out of time.
“We played them about as well as anyone has this season,” Taylor said. “We just turned the ball over too much.”
The size of the Shafers inside proved to be a lot for Washington to handle. The sisters combined for 31 points.
Brooke Shafer scored 16 while Megan scored 15.
Preslee Johnson scored 20 to lead Washington.
At Dale, Cashion fell behind 10-2 early.
The Lady Wildcats kept in it, but couldn’t overcome the slow start.
“We really didn’t have a whole lot of gas for them after the battle the night before,” Taylor said.
Dale was able to limit the Shafers, who combined for nine points.
Abby Hobgood paced Cashion with 11.
Addison McCracken scored eight.
After starting the season 5-0, Cashion is now 5-3.
Still, Taylor likes where her team stands as it takes a couple weeks off for the holidays.
“Hopefully we gained some respect in Class 2A,” she said. “At the very least we proved to ourselves that we can hang with really good teams.
“We are headed in the right direction.”
Unlike the girls, the Cashion boys didn’t play a pair of top-ranked teams on consecutive days.
The Wildcats merely played the No. 9 team in 3A in Washington and the No. 1 team in 2A in Dale, which also happens to be the three-time defending state champ.
Despite Parker Mitchell and Drake Woody combining to score 45 points, Washington was able to leave town with a 77-68 win.
Mitchell scored 24 points and Woody 21 and Cashion was able to outscore the Warriors 16-14 in the first quarter.
However, Washington used a 20-12 advantage in the second quarter to take the lead.
Four different Warriors scored in double figures to help them keep it.
Carson Gump added nine points for Cashion.
Dale moved to 10-0 with a 91-62 victory against the Wildcats.
Cashion couldn’t slow down the Pirates, who scored at least 19 points in every quarter.
Dale’s 24 points in the first quarter doubled up Cashion. Up 18 at half, the Pirates went on a 25-10 run in the third.
Denton Forsythe paced Dale with 22 points.
Drake Woody scored 17 for Cashion, which dropped to 5-3.
Brody Nichols added 12 while Kamden Miller scored 10.