LYNNVILLE, Tenn. – The Cascade Champions (12-7, 2-1) trailed by 17 points, 62-45, with six minutes remaining at Richland (12-4, 3-0) on Saturday before closing on a furious 20-0 run to exact revenge on the Raiders and end the hosts’ 7-game winning streak, 65-62.

After Tyler Rodgers nailed a pair of game-tying free throws on an intentional foul called against Richland’s Kade McCormack with 38 seconds left, Cascade managed to get Cooper McElroy in the post to convert on an and-one through McCormack, putting the Champions back in front, 65-62, for the first time since the first half with 8.6 seconds remaining. After a pair of Richland timeouts, the Raiders looked for Jameson Andrews, who led all scorers with 25 points, but his contested fadeaway three-point attempt from the top of the key came up short at the horn. 

McElroy did everything for Cascade, leading the way with a team-high 21 points, six rebounds, five assists, two steals, and just a single turnover. Tristin Billings was his only teammate to finish in double-figures, scoring 10 points. Kaleb Kelso finished with eight points – all coming in the second half – to go with three crucial steals in the fourth quarter. Henry Stone also chipped in with nine points.

The Raiders, who were without their lead guard in Cooper Jackson, were led by Andrews’ 25 points and five rebounds, as well as McCormack’s 20-point night. McCormack pulled down six rebounds, dished out four assists, and blocked three shots, but he also committed four crucial turnovers. Andrews also committed four turnovers.

In total, Cascade forced 16 Richland turnovers, generating 18 points off of those turnovers, while giving the ball away only eight times themselves.

After a hotly contested first half where the hosts went into the locker room with a 34-32 lead, Richland threatened to pull away early in the third quarter before the Champions pulled back within three points, 48-45, after a Billings corner three with 1:02 left in the third. The Raiders managed to score a couple of baskets before the buzzer sounded, taking a 52-45 lead into the final frame.

Those pair of baskets sparked a 14-0 run from Richland, culminating in a commanding 62-45 lead for the Raiders after Andrews found a cutting McCormack in the fastbreak for a layup with 6:13 left. 

30 seconds later on the ensuing Cascade possession, the Champions’ ball movement resulted in a Cooper McElroy corner three-pointer to end the run. Will Shirey, who finished with 14 points for Richland, missed a left-handed layup on the other end, and Cascade quickly connected on another triple from Kaleb Kelso thanks to great ball movement against Richland’s zone, trimming the lead back down to 62-51. This prompted a quick timeout from Jason Loveless with 5:03 on the clock, but the break did little to deter the Champs’ energy. If anything, it allowed the visitors to turn it up a notch.

Coming out of the timeout, Tyler Rodgers forced a McCormack turnover on a pass in the frontcourt that led to a layup from McElroy before McElroy jumped the passing lane on the next possession and punched home an emphatic one-handed jam. This lightning-quick sequence brought Cascade to within seven points, 62-55, with 4:20 to go in the fourth.

The visitors kept up the pressure, resulting in Kelso stripping Andrews clean of the ball at the top of the key for the Raiders’ fifth-consecutive turnover and another two points for the visitors. On the ensuing possession, the hosts again turned the basketball over, and after McElroy was intentionally fouled by Andrews on a layup attempt, he was able to trim the lead to 62-59 with 2:27 remaining on a pair of free throws. 

Richland’s McCormack was fouled with 1:52 to go, sending him to the line for two shots, but he uncharacteristically missed them both to leave the door wide open for Cascade. McElroy attempted to barge through, splitting a pair of free throws after a strong drive to the basket with 1:12 remaining. However, Cascade forced Andrews into a corner with a trap, resulting in an easy interception by Jaxon Gulick from the long crosscourt pass. 

Stone and Rodgers then missed a pair of layup attempts, but Rodgers was able to corral the loose ball and dribble it back out until he was grabbed and pulled to the ground by McCormack for an intentional foul. Rodgers, who came into the game shooting 38% at the free throw line in limited attempts, calmly sank both shots to tie the game at 62 with 38.5 seconds left in regulation.

Cascade called their final timeout, and eventually the ball found McElroy one final time for the visitors. The sophomore forward posted up McCormack on the right block, converting on the and-one to give the Champions an improbable 65-62 lead with 8.7 remaining. 

After Andrews’ three-pointer was short, Cascade celebrated its unlikely comeback victory on the road after closing on a 20-0 run over the final 6:13 in the fourth quarter.

The Champions improve to 12-7 overall. Cascade heads to Cannon County on Tuesday in another non-district clash, LIVE on The Zinger 100.9 and AM 1400 starting at 5:45 p.m.