EVERETT — Isaiah Gotell said he’s struggled making free throws this season.
Tuesday night that was not the case.
Gotell was 10 of 11 from the free-throw line, including two with 7.4 seconds remaining in the game, to lead Cascade to a 46-45 come-from-behind win over Jackson in a Wesco 4A game at Cascade High School.
The win clinches at least a share of the league title for the Bruins, who can clinch it outright with a win in one of their final two games against Mariner or Kamiak.
“It’s probably one of the most stressful times,” Gotell said of the two late free throws. “You step up and you’ve got both crowds yelling and cheering and it can go either way. I’ve been struggling this year with free throws so I was just happy I could make both for the team. It’s a scary time.
“I’m just happy I made the shots. It all worked out.”
Gotell finished with a game-high 26 points for Cascade. The senior led the Bruins’ second-half charge with 14 of Cascade’s 17 points in the third quarter and six in the final period.
The two free throws by Gotell late in the contest gave Cascade its first lead since early in the second quarter.
“Oh my gosh, he’s huge,” Cascade head coach Darrell McNeal said of Gotell. “It’s hard to guard him. He can find a way to get to the rim, he’s long, he’s quick. When he’s really commanding the ball he’s going to finish and do some things for us.
“… Credit to him because he definitely wanted the ball down the stretch and he was going to make something happen. And he did.”
Despite coming into the game undefeated and ranked No. 3 in the latest Associated Press 4A poll, McNeal said Cascade (12-0 league, 18-0 overall) considered itself the underdog against perennial league champion, and the Bruins’ Everett School District rival, Jackson (9-3, 12-6).
“I don’t care what our record is, (Jackson head coach) Steve Johnson does an amazing job with his crew over there. They come out and play and they fight hard,” McNeal said. “We’re the underdogs. I truly believe and say that because we haven’t been there year in and year out like they have. Steve’s been in this position before. He knows what it’s like to go out and win a league title. So we’re the underdogs. We have to come out and prove that we’re good enough and can compete with them.”
After both teams’ offenses struggled in the first half, Jackson ended the second quarter with a 7-0 run to take an 18-13 lead into halftime.
Cascade and Jackson found more success offensively in the third quarter, with Jackson again jumping out to a lead with a 7-0 run after the Bruins initially closed the gap.
“They came out in the closing seconds of the first half and they kind of punched us,” Gotell said. “For us to come back in the third quarter and give them a little fight — a little run for their money.”
Two big 3-pointers from Trevon Blackmon and Cameron McGrath — who finished with nine points — got the Bruins to within three points, and a drive and basket by Cascade captain Brennen Hancock cut the Jackson lead to one and set up Gotell’s game-winning opportunity.
“We weren’t executing (in the first half),” McNeal said. “We were kind of playing stagnant. We were making one pass and shooting the ball. Guys were forcing the issue. We said, ‘Let’s execute in the second half. Let’s make some adjustments — we’ll put Isaiah in the post — let’s move the ball a little bit more, see if we can get a couple mismatches and go from there.’
“We came back and did a better job of executing and moving the ball and getting the right guys the ball. We cleaned it up in the second half.”
Jackson lost more than just the game Tuesday night. Timberwolves senior post Colton Faddis, who had eight points and seven rebounds, fell to the floor after battling for a rebound with 2:46 remaining in the game. Faddis had to be helped off the floor and was seen with the trainers icing and working on his right leg.
Johnson didn’t want to speculate on his senior’s injury, but was hopeful he could return sometime in the postseason.
“We probably would have gone right back to him,” Johnson said of Faddis, who had back-to-back baskets in the fourth quarter. “That’s life. I don’t expect anyone to feel sorry for us. We’ve just got to move on. Hopefully, he’s able to come back soon.”
Senior Sam Saufferer led Jackson with 16 points and Jordan Brajcich added 10. Parker Manalo had six of his eight points in the first half and guard Brian Brown grabbed 11 rebounds for the Timberwolves in the contest.
The Jackson head coach was pleased with his team’s effort and resolve in competing with undefeated Cascade until the end.
“Our kids really competed and battled. We proved we could play with the best team in the league and hopefully that bodes well for the playoffs,” Johnson said. “A play here, play there — if a couple things go our way — we have a win.”
Faddis was key to slowing down Gotell at times, according to Johnson.
“(Gotell’s) big, so we have to put one of our big guys on him, and he’s quick — he can drive,” Johnson said. “And he made his free throws tonight. I’ve seen him play some games where he misses a lot of free throws and obviously, he made them tonight. He’s definitely a tough cover.”
Gotell and the Bruins are adjusting to life on top of Wesco 4A. It’s unlikely that, heading into the district tournament, Cascade will be able to call itself an underdog very often.
“The cool part about our league is any given night everybody’s going to come out and give you their best,” McNeal said. “We understand what it means to be in the middle of the pack and fighting for position. Being at the top, where we are now, it’s not a normal feeling for us. So really, what we’re just doing, is playing like we’re in the middle of the pack. We know it’s going to come down the stretch and we’re going to have to do the little things right.”
“Going 18-0, I don’t know how many times that’s been done, especially, with our program,” Gotell added. “It’s really a great win. We knew going into this game we’d have a shot at clinching that No. 1 seed (for the district tournament). It’s really a stress reliever to get that win because it takes a lot off our back going into Friday. It was definitely a key win for us.”
At Cascade H.S.
Jackson 10 8 21 6 —45
Cascade 9 4 17 16 —46
Jackson—Brian Brown 0, Parker Manalo 8, Ian Willgress 0, Brock Peterson 0, Jordan Brajcich 10, Connor Marschall 0, Sam Saufferer 16, Colton Faddis 8, Islim Ouldtaki 3. Cascade—Trevon Blackmon 5, Santana Saiz 0, Drew Magaoay 2, D’Andre Bryant 0, Cameron McGrath 9, Alex Stewart 0, Muhammed Kolly 0, Brennen Hancock 4, Isaiah Gotell 26. Records—Jackson 9-3 league, 12-6 overall. Cascade 12-0, 18-0.
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