Cashion sweeps Seiling

Just before Cashion’s schedule gets really difficult, Seiling wanted to make sure nothing came easy for the Wildcats.

The Cashion defense got a stop with two seconds left Thursday night to help it hold on to a 56-54 home win over Seiling.

Cashion’s Alex Nabavi made 1 of 2 free throws with 27 seconds left to give Cashion the lead.

Nabavi then defended a would-be game-tying shot, but the ball went out of bounds and stayed in Seiling’s possession with 2 seconds left.

The visiting Wildcats promptly turned it over on the inbounds play and Cashion improved to 16-1.

The contest was the second in three days and part of a tremendous flurry of games to end the season for Cashion.

The Wildcats won at Fairview on Tuesday night as Nabavi led the way with 22 points.

Jacob Woody added 19 and Jonah Jenkins 13 as Cashion improved to 3-0 in Three Rivers Conference games.

The Seiling game was a make-up from two weeks ago as Seiling had to postpone its visit due to widespread flu within the school district.

Cashion hosted Watonga on Friday (after press time).

It really gets going this week as the Wildcats travel to Crescent Monday, host Okarche Tuesday and play a makeup game at Hennessey Wednesday.

All three are conference games and will go a long way in determining who wins the conference’s regular season crown.

Then, with one day’s rest, Cashion travels to 3A No. 5 Crossings Christian.

All that before hosting 2A No. 3 Dale next Monday to cap a crazy week.

“It’s a lot of games in not very many days,” Cashion coach John Hardaway said. “And several of those are pretty good rivalries for us. It’s going to be a true grind to get through it.”

Cashion got through Seiling by “holding on.”

The Wildcats built an 11-point lead through three quarters and were up 52-44 on a Jenkins free throw midway through the fourth.

It was still 55-49 with just over a minute to play before Seiling sliced that in half with a 3-pointer.

The visitors then cut it to one point before Nabavi was able to draw a foul with 26.7 seconds left on the clock.

The senior, who signed to play football for Oklahoma Baptist University last week, made his first foul shot, but missed the second.

Seiling tried to force it inside on its ensuing possession, but T.J. Roberts poked the pass away. Another shot attempt in the lane was deflected by Nabavi.

When Seiling tried its inbounds play, the pass went off a Seiling player’s knee and back out of bounds with just one second showing.

Nabavi led the team again with 17 points while Woody scored 15.

Vance Raney scored 10 and Jenkins seven.

Cashion girls end skid

A rough couple of weeks for the Cashion girls basketball team ended Thursday when it got its first win against a top-10 team this season.

The Lady Wildcats got on top early and pulled away down the stretch to knock off Class A No. 10 Seiling 51-39 at home.

Cashion had lost four straight games dating back to the semifinal of the County Line Tournament late last month.

It stretched further into this month with Tuesday’s 48-38 conference loss at Fairview.

In that defeat, Cashion trailed by eight at halftime, then surrendered a 15-2 run in the third quarter.

The team was led by Cedar Stewart’s 10 points.

Against Seiling, two Lady Wildcats scored in double figures and another just missed it.

Cashion led 19-9 after a quarter to buck the trend of its offensive woes of late.

Seiling pulled within eight entering the fourth, but Cashion posted 17 more points in the final eight minutes.

Brook Shelly and Lauren Lamb posted 15 points apiece.

Neely Tilley-Bedick scored another nine points.

Cashion was 11-6 after Thursday’s win.