Cashion hits reset at halftime

The new era of Cashion basketball just needed a chance to catch its breath and relax.

Once that happened, the result was like so many others over the last several years as the Wildcats have emerged as one of the best programs in Class 2A.

Cashion erased a fourpoint halftime deficit, dominated the second half and ran away from visiting Morrison 55-36 last Friday night.

“Our kids were just too amped up in the first half,” said coach John Hardaway after his team fell behind 23-19.

The game was a rematch of last year’s state semifinal, one that Cashion won handily before finishing as the state runner-up.

But all five starters from that team that brought home the silver ball were lost to graduation.

The inexperience - possibly nerves - showed early in the game.

“Halftime was good for us,” Hardaway said. “After that, we came out, established our offense in the paint and that helped us start to pull away from them.”

Cashion outscored Morrison by seven in the third quarter to stake a fourpoint lead.

The Wildcats blew them out with a 21-5 run in the fourth.

Among those Hardaway wanted to see get the ball was senior Jackson Vandruff.

He answered the call with 15 points and nine rebounds.

Nathan Nabavi (eight points, six boards), Chance Acord (four points, nine rebounds) and Caleb Shafer (two points, one rebound) also did their share of work in the paint.

Hardaway was impressed with the combined 18 rebounds from Acord and Vandruff.

“That was really big for us,” he said.

Meanwhile, Kamden Miller and Drake Woody kept things working on the perimeter.

Miller led the team with 16 points. Woody scored 10 as the duo combined for five 3-pointers.

Heating up in the second half saw Cashion eventually shoot 48 percent (19 of 39) from the field.

The defense limited Morrison to 25 percent (11 of 43) which included just 17 percent (4 of 23) from 3-point range.

The Wildcats committed 12 turnovers.

“At this point in the season, that’s a good number,” Hardaway said.