Cascade Captured Win Number 19 Late Monday

Andrew Force February 8, 2022 @ 04:44 PM

<h3>Reported by <a href="http://willcarter13/">Will Carter</a>. Photo by <a href="http://willcarter13/">Will Carter</a>.</h3> Thoughh both teams seemed out of rhythm for the majority of the game, Cascade found their stride after halftime, ultimately securing a 46-39 victory over Smyrna. The optimal time to get hot in basketball is right before the postseason begins, and the Cascade Champions (19-6) are doing just that. After winning three consecutive games and averaging 77 ppg in that span, the 2A Champions traveled to Smyrna (8-16) to take on the 4A Bulldogs for a test of mental and physical fortitude. https://twitter.com/WillCarter13/status/1490880756360835072?s=20&t=FR2FTDk1X5sHiLJG9_hKXQ A large portion of the Champions’ production over the past few games has come from Justis Carter and Lucas Clanton. In their last game against Grundy County, the duo combined for 50 points and did it with ease. Carter being a post and Clanton a guard, they always seem to know what each other’s next move is. Champion head coach Chris Lawson attributes that to their time on the court together. “They have confidence in each other,” Lawson said after the win. “They both have a lot of experience and success under their belt having been on the sub state team last year.” Carter has been a force in the paint all season as he’s averaging nearly 25 ppg and just recently eclipsed the 1,000 career point mark. In most games, he wins matchups with his size, but his footwork and feel for the game is high-level. [caption id="attachment_1382495" align="alignright" width="300"]<a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/02/McCarver2.png"><img class="wp-image-1382495 size-medium" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/02/McCarver2-300x200.png" alt="" width="300" height="200" /></a> PHOTO CREDIT: Will Carter. [player_tooltip player_id="1179415" first="Ashton" last="McCarver"] (Smyrna) is a wizard in the open floor.[/caption] “The biggest thing about him is his motor,” Lawson said. “It runs nonstop, and he plays hard. He’s savvy, coachable, and has a very high basketball IQ.” It was an off night for the Champions’ duo as they both contributed only 11 points against Smyrna, but a lid was on the basket for both squads. The Bulldogs’ prominent offensive player, [player_tooltip player_id="1179415" first="Ashton" last="McCarver"], finished with 12 points and Brandon Sanders matched that. This past Friday, McCarver dropped 33 points on Lavergne. He showed flashes of being a prolific scorer against the Champions with nifty ball handling and athletic drives to the basket, but the ball wouldn’t fall. On paper, the Bulldogs were a difficult matchup for the Champions with their athleticism and size on the block. Carter hasn’t been tested much down low this season with how he towers over his competition, so it was interesting to see how he worked against the Bulldogs’ posts. Lawson emphasized how athletic the Bulldogs are, and how Carter fared against them. “We talked a lot about that coming into this game, and the difference in athleticism and competition. Most teams we play have 1 or 2 really athletic players, but tonight all of them were more athletic than us. I thought Justis came in and handled it well. I guarantee he had 7 or 8 rebounds and 11 points. That’s another solid night.” As the regular season nears its end and the postseason reaches the horizon, the Champions will be a team to watch in 2A basketball.