No. 2 Cascade fights off West Branch, 66-51
by Gregory R. Norfleet · Sports · December 21, 2017
West Branch made it hard for the No. 2 Cascade Cougars to put the scrappy Bears away Dec. 12, requiring them to chip and claw to first earn the lead and then keep it, a project that took until deep into the final quarter.
Cascade-Western Dubuque managed short bursts of scoring at the end of the first half and midway through the fourth that gave them a controlling, though not commanding, lead on their way to a 66-51 win over the home team.
“I thought our intensity was really good,” Bears Head Coach Tom Burger said. “I think we gave them some good looks that maybe they weren’t expecting, then we went away from that. Then our defense kind of fell asleep. … We went away from things we should be doing on offense that was hurting them and started to do our own thing.”
Cougar Head Coach Jacob Brindle said scouting the team showed them the weapon in West Branch’s Beau Cornwell.
“West Branch … works really hard and has a great player,” he said. “But it’s beyond one great player. All of their pieces fit together. The (Ben) Thompson kid is running inside, the Lukavsky brothers (Brady and Tanner) played really hard.”
The Bears shot just under 40 percent from the field and 75 percent at the free-throw line. T. Lukavsky led in shooting percentages, sinking nearly 55 percent of his attempts.
West Branch and Cascade traded leads and finished tied at 11 at the end of the first quarter, and the Cougars extended that lead to six at the half. The visitors held West Branch back in the third, but the Bears closed to within four by the final quarter.
“Early in the game, it wasn’t like we weren’t playing hard,” Brindle said. “We were playing hard, but we were just a little bit sideways in our defensive assignments. West Branch brings a lot of really unique stuff we don’t see a lot — there’s a lot of motion in it and it’s hard to scout that. Now through the end of the first half, we kind of had a little energy about us … we made a couple of shots and all of a sudden we were feeling a little bit better about ourselves.”
Burger said Cascade, returning every player from a state tournament run last year, does not “rattle” easily.
“I thought we did rattle them a couple of times on defense,” the Bears coach said. “They turned the ball over.”
West Branch prepared for Cascade’s defense, but the Bear coach said it was not enough.
“They play an aggressive 2-3 zone that we’re not going to see the rest of the year,” he said. “Here we have to spend a day at practice preparing for it and we’re not going to see it again.”
Brindle said the six-point lead at the half “was a huge advantage.”
“It really sparked us,” he said. “We got up 12 to 14 and we dictated what they were going to do defensively and, to their credit, (West Branch) got right back down to four early in the fourth quarter.”
However the Cougars can count on five or six strong scorers, he said. The team shot nearly 55 percent from the field and more than 83 percent at the free-throw line.
“It was a little bit of a rough go there in the fourth quarter, but our guys responded awesome,” Brindle said. “It was one of those games where it was going to be a grind battle, possession by possession. You look up and Cornwell is two shots away from making it a one-possession game.”
Cornwell finished the night with 22 points to lead West Branch, followed by Tanner Lukavsky with 13.
Burger said his players “did some really good things.”
“We’ve got to be able to build on them,” he said. “I felt like we stopped some runs at times, but there were some little things we didn’t do (like draw charges). We’ve got to do a better job of that because we don’t have a shot blocker, and if we want to be competitive, we’re going to have to draw charges.”
Brindle said Cascade used to play home games in a gymnasium like West Branch’s.
“It’s a tough place to play,” he said. “It’s a unique gym … it’s easy to get very loud. Their kids did a great job and they were rocking and rolling a little bit. It’s kind of fun. I loved it.”
The Cougar coach said West Branch forced the visitors to “adjust a little bit of our game.” The No. 2 Class 2A team remains unbeaten this year but only one other opponent, Camanche, cracked 50 points against them this season.
“(West Branch made) more than 50 points and that was a little bit more than we would like,” he said. “But sitting here with what they had offensively, we’ll take it.”
The visitors’ top scorer was junior Haris Hoffman with 17 points, followed by senior Johnny Supple with 15.
“He just had all kinds of energy about him,” Brindle said of Hoffman. “He was a little spark for us.”
Cascade won the jump ball, yet the first points went to West Branch with a basket by junior Ted Bridges.
Hoffman got things started for the visitors with back-to-back baskets, followed by another by Supple. Tanner Lukavsky broke in with another Bear basket, followed by a three-pointer by brother Brady, and a breakaway layup by Tanner to give West Branch a 9-6 lead.
A basket by Cascade and then a foul put Ben Thompson on the line for for two more for the Bears. Another Cascade basket before the buzzer and the teams tied at 11.
West Branch scored first in the second quarter with Cornwell getting on the board for the first time with two and a second time with three, while Supple and another visiting player added four to the Cougar total. Supple came back with two more baskets, which Thompson answered in kind.
Cascade called time out with 3:46 on the clock, trailing 20-19.
Cornwell put up a shot for a 22-19 lead, but the rest of the points went to the Cougars, adding nine from four different players. At the half, Cascade led 28-22.
That momentum continued briefly in the second half, with two more Cougar baskets, prompting a West Branch time-out less than two minutes in. Supple sank another basket then went one-for-two on a Bear foul.
T. Lukavsky put in back-to-back baskets, then Cougar added four points on free-throws. Cornwell dropped a trey, and West Branch trailed 39-30.
A basket by Hoffman, then Thompson, then another Cascade player, and the visitors led 44-32 and appeared to have control of the game. Cornwell added four points with a free-throw and a three-pointer, and the third quarter closed with the home team trailing 44-36.
Starting the fourth quarter, Cornwell put in a basket and two free-throws, and suddenly that 12-point gap in the third had shrunk to four.
Cascade chipped away with a free-throw, basket and two free-throws to widen the gap to nine. Bridges put in both of a one-and-one, then Hoffman and another Cougar followed with two two-pointers for a 53-42 lead that prompted another West Branch time-out with 4:26 left to play.
The Bears and Cougars went shot for shot, with two West Branch baskets by Cornwell and a free-throw by Thompson, during which Hoffman dropped in three two-pointers. With the Cascade lead now inching ahead to 13, the visitors called time-out with 1:50 remaining.
A Bear foul put Hoffman on the line, where he made both on a one-and-one. T. Lukavsky followed with a basket and West Branch called time-out with 49.6 points left and still a 13-point gap.
Shifting into fouling mode in hopes to catch up, West Branch sent two Cascade players to the line despite the Cougars’ keep-away efforts. All four free-throws dropped through the net.
T. Lukavsky put up one more basket for the Bears before time ran out for a 66-51 score.
1 2 3 4 T
WB 11 11 14 15 51
Cas 11 17 16 22 66
West Branch stats: Cade Aspelmeier 1 foul; Beau Cornwell 8 3-4 22, 3 3-pointers, 7 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals, 2 fouls; Brady Lukavsky 1 0-0 3, 1 3-pointer, 1 rebound, 1 steal, 2 fouls; Brett Schiele 1 rebound, 1 assist; Tanner Lukavsky 6 1-1 13, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 fouls; Ben Thompson 3 3-5 9, 4 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 steal, 5 fouls; Ted Bridges 1 2-2 4, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 block, 2 fouls. Team totals: 19 9-12 51, 4 3-pointers, 22 rebounds, 11 assists, 4 steals, 1 block, 14 fouls.
Cascade stats: Brock Simon 2 4-4 8, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals, 1 block; Derek Koppes 4 2-2 12, 2 3-pointers, 1 assist, 1 steal, 1 foul; Johnny Supple 6 3-5 15, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 blocks, 3 fouls; Reid Rausch 2 0-0 4, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 block, 3 fouls; Gannon O’Brien 3 3-4 10, 1 3-pointer, 5 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 steals, 2 fouls; Logan Otting 1 rebound, 1 foul; Haris Hoffman 7 3-3 17, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 2 fouls. Unknown: 2 rebounds. Team totals: 24 15-18 66, 3 3-pointers, 25 rebounds, 16 assists, 8 steals, 4 blocks, 12 fouls
West Branch 68
West Liberty 34
On Dec. 16, West Branch traveled south of the interstate and entered Comet territory, coming out of there with a 68-34 victory.
The Bears shot more than 45 percent from the field and 40 percent from the free-throw line.
1 2 3 4 T
WB 14 15 22 17 68
WL 4 7 8 15 34
West Branch stats: Cade Aspelmeier 2 0-0 6, 2 3-pointers, 1 rebound, 1 assist, 1 block, 1 foul; Beau Cornwell 8 0-0 18, 2 3-pointers, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals, 2 fouls; Ben Kyllingstad 2 0-0 4, 1 rebound; Brady Lukavsky 2 0-3 4, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals; Zach Thompson 0 2-2 2, 1 rebound, 2 fouls; Brett Schiele 1 0-0 2, 2 rebounds; Tanner Lukavsky 2 0-0 6, 2 3-pointers, 7 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals, 2 fouls; Ben Thompson 5 0-0 10, 3 rebounds, 2 assist, 1 steal, 2 fouls; Ted Bridges 4 0-0 9, 1 3-pointer, 3 rebounds, 1 assist; Trey Eagle 2 0-0 5, 1 3-pointer, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals; Matt Whaley 1 rebound, 1 assist; Jeff Bowie 1 0-0 2, 1 assist, 1 foul; Jack Dragovich 1 rebound, 2 assists, 1 block, 1 foul. Team totals: 29 2-5 68, 8 3-pointers, 33 rebounds, 14 assists, 10 steals, 2 blocks, 11 fouls.
West Liberty stats: Colton Kaalberg 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 fouls; Seth Feldman 3 2-4 9, 1 3-pointer, 10 rebounds, 1 block, 2 fouls; Tanner Iske 2 4-4 8, 3 rebounds; Austin McMichael 1 rebound, 2 fouls; Gavin Chown 1 0-0 2, 1 assist, 1 foul; Brent Meyers 1 1-2 3, 2 rebounds, 1 steal, 1 foul; Spencer Daufeld 4 4-7 12, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 3 fouls. Team totals: 11 11-17 34, 1 3-pointer, 22 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, 1 block, 11 fouls
West Branch 41
Regina 57
The Bears hosted Regina Dec. 15 and lost to the undefeated Regals, 57-41.
West Branch shot just under 27 percent from the field and more than 57 percent from the free-throw line.
1 2 3 4 T
WB 0 7 18 16 41
Reg 17 11 18 11 57
West Branch stats: Cade Aspelmeier 1 0-0 3, 1 3-pointer, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal; Beau Cornwell 4 6-7 15, 1 3-pointer, 3 rebounds, 2 fouls; Brady Lukavsky 1 0-0 3, 1 3-pointer, 1 rebound, 1 foul; Zach Thompson 1 rebound; Brett Schiele 1 0-1 2, 1 foul; Tanner Lukavsky 2 0-0 4, 2 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 foul; Ben Thompson 2 4-6 8, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 2 fouls; Ted Bridges 0 1-2 1, 2 rebounds, 1 steal; Trey Eagle 0 0-2 0, 1 assist, 1 foul; Jeff Bowie 1 1-3 3, 2 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 block, 1 foul. Team totals: 13 12-21 41, 3 3-pointers, 21 rebounds, 7 assists, 3 steals, 1 block, 9 fouls.
Regina stats: Zach Seamen 0 1-2 1, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, 4 fouls; Bryce Barnett 2 2-2 6, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 fouls; Masen Miller 2 0-0 5, 1 3-pointer, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 fouls; Jacob Sueppel 1 rebound, 1 assist, 2 fouls; Jocoa Kerschen 5 0-0 13, 3 3-pointers, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 fouls; Jake Phillips 4 0-2 9, 1 3-pointer, 1 rebound; Even Brauns 7 1-2 15, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 3 blocks, 4 fouls; Alex Moore 1 foul; Luke Stein 2 0-0 4, 2 rebounds, 1 foul; Blake Berns 2 0-1 4, 4 rebounds, 4 fouls; Jacob Clark 1 rebound, 1 assist, 1 steal, 1 foul. Team totals: 24 4-9 57, 31 rebounds, 14 assists, 2 steals, 3 blocks, 25 fouls.
West Branch 71
Camanche 79
The Bears traveled Monday to Camanche, but fell to the Panthers 79-71.
1 2 3 4 T
WB 15 26 14 16 71
Cam 16 28 10 25 79
West Branch stats: Cade Aspelmeier 1 0-0 3, 1 3-pointer, 2 assists, 3 fouls; Beau Cornwell 15 3-4 38, 5 3-pointers, 12 rebounds, 1 assist, 3 fouls; Brady Lukavksy 1 0-0 2, 1 rebound, 3 steals, 5 fouls; Brett Schiele 1 0-0 2, 2 rebounds, 1 steals, 1 foul; Tanner Lukavsky 2 3-4 7, 5 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 1 block, 4 fouls; Ben Thompson 3 5-13 11, 18 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal, 4 fouls; Ted Bridges 2 2-4 6, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 4 fouls; Jack Dragovich 1 rebound. Team totals: 25 15-27 71, 6 3-pointers, 44 rebounds, 10 assists, 7 steals, 1 block, 24 fouls
Camanche stats: Carson Seeser 4 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals, 2 fouls; Caleb Delzell 4 0-2 4, 9 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 foul; Jordan Lawrence 3 4-4 10, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 4 fouls; Jordan Lawrence 3 4-4 10, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 4 fouls; Dev Patel 11 5-10 32, 5 3-pointers, 13 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 steals, 3 fouls; Cameron Sorkensen 7 10-13 29, 5 3-pointers, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, 4 fouls; Jaxson White 1 rebound, 3 fouls; Evan Hall 1 0-0 2, 1 assist; Calvin Ottens 1 0-0 2, 5 rebounds, 3 blocks, 4 fouls; Unknown: 2 rebounds. Team totals: 25 19-29 79, 10 3-pointers, 42 rebounds, 18 assists, 3 steals, 3 blocks, 21 fouls
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