Small School Spotlight: Cascade

<p>Cascade lost in the state title game last season at the 1A DII level to the Lakeside Knights. Fortunately for the Ramblers, Lakeside is moving up a division which will open the door for Cascade to make a run at the title again this season. The Ramblers finished their 2019-20 campaign with an overall record of 20-5 and a conference record of 9-1 under head coach Amos Lee. Cascade. will lose a couple of key seniors this year but should have plenty of experienced young talent to help the Ramblers throughout the season. Looking forward to next season, Cascade will use their experience of making it to the state championship game to fuel their run this season. Continue reading for a handful of players to watch for the Ramblers in the 2020-21 season.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="969903" first="Cruz" last="Duerden"], 2021: </strong>Duerden is a great shooter for the Ramblers and will look to increase his scoring load in this upcoming season. He has the ability to catch-and-shoot from anywhere on the floor and his feet are always set, and his hands are always ready to receive the catch. Once he gets hot, he stays hot and can have lots of games throughout the season with multiple triples. If he doesn’t shoot the ball immediately, he can either dribble to create his own shot, or he can drive to the basket and kick to spot-up shooters for easy baskets. He has a great mind for the game and with lots of minutes and points available due to graduating seniors, I would expect Cruz to have an increased role for the Ramblers this season.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="969900" first="Blake" last="Thurston"], 2021: </strong>Thurston will return for Cascade and have an immediate impact in the 2020-21 season. Last year, he was part of a great trio of players for the Ramblers that scored the majority of their points. With the other two players having graduated, Thurston will take on more of an increased scoring role and leadership capacity for the Ramblers. Thurston can score at all three levels and once he gets going, the hoop appears to double in size and he is tough to stop. Blake has a great pull-up jumper, a knockdown shot from deep, and the ability to finish around the rim with either hand against any defender. He plays hard and he will have plenty of opportunities to lead Cascade down the stretch of tight games this year.</p>