By Chris Trujillo
Herald Writer
EVERETT – The explosive, high-flying tandem of Marcus Hansen and JaMichael Bailey led the Cascade Bruins down an improbable path Tuesday night against Stanwood, the state’s fourth-ranked Class 4A team.
The Western Conference North Division showdown featured two-handed dunks and a thrilling come-from-behind victory.
It ended with the Bruins’ shocking win over previously unbeaten Stanwood, 80-76 in overtime at a standing-room-only Cascade gymnasium.
Hansen, a 6-foot-5 senior guard, and Bailey, a 6-foot-3 forward, scored 20 of the Bruins’ 22 fourth-quarter points to bring Cascade, which trailed by as many as 12 points, back from a 49-43 fourth quarter deficit to send the game into overtime.
The victory moved Cascade to within one game of first place Stanwood with a league record of 6-2 and overall record of 8-4. Stanwood dropped to 7-1 and 10-1.
“I love to win and especially against a ranked team and great team like Stanwood,” said Hansen, who scored 13 points in the fourth quarter and finished with a game-high 34 points. “This game says that we can play with anyone. It says that we deserve to not be underestimated. It says we’ll be around when the playoffs come.”
Hansen went 7-for-9 from the free-throw line in the final two minutes of overtime to shatter Stanwood’s undefeated mark. With 56 seconds to go, Hansen was fouled by Stanwood’s Marcus Steele – who finished with 30 points – and connected on both free throws to give Cascade a 76-71 lead. Steele went 0-for-3 during the final minute of overtime.
“This game was absolutely huge,” said Bailey, who scored seven points in the critical fourth quarter and finished with 22. “We played good defense, at least good enough to stop them in the end.”
Cascade went on a 6-0 run midway through the fourth quarter thanks to back-to-back shots by Bailey. The Bruins, who trailed by as many as 12 points in the first quarter, took the lead with 4:22 remaining in the fourth when Bailey nailed an athletic turn-around jump shot. Bailey would later explode with his second two-handed dunk after taking a perfect no-look pass from Hansen.
Every time it looked like Cascade would pull away in the fourth quarter, Stanwood came back. Steele kept the Spartans alive by hitting consecutive unbalanced jump shots.
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