Wildcats knock off one No. 1 team, fall to another
AUSTIN FRAZIER of Cashion works in the lane during his team’s win last week over Bishop McGuinness, which was ranked No. 7 in 5A. Cashion also played 3A No. 1 OCS and 2A No. 1 Dale during the week. [Photo by Brad Stone/www.bestone.shootproof.com]
Cashion had enough to beat the No. 1 team in Class 3A.
The Wildcats didn’t have enough in the tank for 2A’s No. 1.
Dale shot 59 percent from the field Saturday and slowly pulled away from Cashion in a 48-34 victory in the championship game of the Cashion County Line Tournament.
“It was a great week for us,” said Cashion coach John Hardaway. “We just couldn’t make enough shots on Saturday.”
The week Hardaway referenced saw the Wildcats beat 5A No. 7 Bishop McGuinness on Monday, which was their third game in four days.
With a couple days rest, they opened their own tournament with victory over a solid Perry team.
Then, in Friday’s semifinal, Cashion knocked off top-seeded and once-beaten Oklahoma Christian School 57-55 in double-overtime.
It was the third time Cashion had gone extra frames in its last four games.
Perhaps that led to Saturday where Cashion shot just 32 percent from the field.
The Wildcats, ranked second in Class 2A, were just 4 of 18 beyond the arc and only 9 of 22 inside of it.
Dale outscored Cashion by three points in each of the first three quarters then closed with a 17-12 advantage.
The Pirates, top-ranked in 2A, got 17 points from Dayton Forsythe and 13 from Jett Higdon.
That duo combined to go 11 of 16 from the floor.
Vance Raney led Cashion with 18 points.
He was 3 of 6 from long range, but the rest of the team combined to go 1 of 12.
The Wildcats also got nine points and seven rebounds from Landon LaGasse.
On Friday, Austin Frazier scored with 14 seconds left to put Cashion up 42-40 on OCS.
However, Luke Gray’s putback at the buzzer sent the game into its first overtime.
LaGasse tied the game at 44-all and had a chance to give Cashion a lead, but missed the ensuing free throw with under 30 seconds left in the first overtime.
Carter Hodson’s turnaround jumper at the buzzer missed its mark, necessitating the second extra period.
Cashion staked a threepoint lead late and the teams traded free throws down the stretch.
Trey Tichenor and Raney went 3 of 4 in the final 15 seconds to help the Wildcats maintain their lead and Hodson’s halfcourt shot to tie missed its mark.
Frazier scored 16 in the win while LaGasse scored 14.
Nick Nabavi added nine and Tichenor eight.
The Wildcats were 11-4 entering Tuesday’s road trip to Hennessey (after press time).