Steady-handed Champs hold off Indian rally

Clutch free-throw shooting down the stretch helped Cascade keep its season alive in a 78-70 win over East Robertson on Saturday night in the first round of the Region 5-A tournament.

The second-seeded Champions (17-11) led for almost the entire game but had to survive a fast-paced fourth quarter that saw the teams combine for 63 points by knocking down 14-of-19 charity tosses in the final 6:31.

They put their season on the line again when they take on top-ranked Clarksville Academy (30-2) in the 5-A semifinals at East Robertson High School in Cross Plains on Tuesday night at 6.

"Nobody gives us a chance in that game, we understand that," Cascade coach Charlie Pope said.

CA rides the talent of brothers Martin and Malcom Smith, who combine to average 35.2 points, 19.5 rebounds and 4.4 blocks per game.

Cascade dealt with another of the region's more athletic basketball players on Saturday when it had to guard East Robertson's David Woodard, who poured in 14 of his team's 33 fourth-quarter points.

"They executed the game plan about as well as you can execute it," Pope said. "We knew going in that (Woodard) was a heck of a player. We weren't trying to stop him. We were trying to stop (Brett Guenther) and (Phillip Stratton) because in games they lost, those two guys didn't score a lot of points. Woodard still had his but those guys were kept in check."

Woodard battled foul trouble in the first half but still finished with 25 points. Guenther and Stratton were held to a total of 10.

The Champs carried a slight 17-14 upper hand into the second quarter, where they picked up some breathing room thanks to the long-range shooting of Matt Henderson. The senior guard banged home three 3s in the frame, including a buzzer-beating twine-thinner to put his squad in front 33-25 at the break.

"(Henderson)'s kind of one of our secondary scorers," Pope said. "When he's making shots, our chances to win are greatly enhanced. When he struggles from the perimeter, we struggle. It's an easily-documented fact."

Cascade's advantage peaked when Christian Edmondson banged home a trey to make it 43-27 with 4:49 left in the third quarter. They went into the final period up 48-37.

The home team's lead reached 13 points on six different occasions in the fourth quarter, including after a pair of free throws by Edmondson with 49.3 seconds to play.

Jared Carkuff provided the answering basket nearly every time the Indians (12-15) inched within striking distance. The Champion sophomore bucketed five of his eight field goals when it mattered most to help keep he and his teammates from having to box up their jerseys until November.

Edmondson didn't fret either with the pressure on, sinking 7-of-8 free throws in the fourth. He led the team with 20 points. Carkuff finished with 18, Henderson totaled 12 and Gerald "Happy" Johnson had 11.

Timothy Jernigan scored 15 for the Indians. Adam Wilks added 12.

After five straight seasons of being eliminated in the region quarterfinals, the Champs have now reached the semifinals for two straight years. Coincidentally, they took on CA in the semis last season as well, losing 52-48. The two locked up back in early December with the Cougars winning in Wartrace by 24.

"The aura and the mystique is not quite as strong as it would have been had we not played them," Pope said. "At the end of the day, hopefully, they're going to have to come take the game from us. My goal is to make them beat us and not us go over there and hand it to them."