EVERETT — If Friday night’s league opener against Snohomish is any indication of what the Cascade boys basketball team is capable of, the other Wesco 4A teams are in for a long season.
The Bruins, who were the coaches’ preseason pick to win the league, rolled to an 82-52 win over the Panthers to remain unbeaten at 5-0.
“There has been talk around the league about us, if we’re going to be able to follow through on everything and everything is going to work out,” senior guard Drew Magaoay said. “We’ve really been working hard. We haven’t been taking days off and we’ve been taking everything seriously. I think it kind of showed out there that we mean business.”
Magaoay shot a perfect 4-for-4 in the first quarter and finished with 13 points in the frame, including a fadeaway 3-pointer as time expired, to give the Bruins a 24-12 lead.
It only got worse for the Panthers.
Senior forward Isaiah Gotell, who finished the game with 16 points, scored eight of his 12 first-half points in the second quarter and the Bruins lead grew to 42-23 at halftime. Junior guard D’Andre Bryant also added eight points in the first half.
“We just have so many options,” Magaoay said. “We all kind of sacrifice a little bit because we all know we can score and we can all do things for each other. It just helps because if you stop one person there are still two or three other guys.”
The Bruins opened the third quarter with an 11-0 run created as much by their defense as their offense. Magaoay scored eight points during the run, six of which came out of transition.
“I told them, ‘sometimes your best offense is your defense,’” Cascade head coach Darrell McNeal said. “We challenged the guys to do things right and play under control and keep guys in front of them and we were able to do that tonight.”
Magaoay finished with 27 points and missed just two field goals.
“He’s a fun kid to watch,” McNeal said. “He plays hard and he just gets after it. One thing I like about Drew also is he’ll (guard) their best player or their best shooter also. He wants that challenge. He wants that task. He’s just a kid that wants to go out and compete and get after it and play hard on both sides of the court.”
Cascade junior guard Trevon Blackman had just six points in the first half, but erupted for 15 after halftime to finish with 21.
“Trevon is an exceptional player,” McNeal said. “He’s quick and he was comfortable tonight. I think this was one of his better games so far. He played more relaxed and comfortable and with composure. He was able to showcase his talents.”
The Bruins’ 30-point win was the largest margin of victory in their five games and they look more than capable of living up to the preseason hype.
“We’re not even focusing in on what the paper is saying, or what the league is saying, or what the coaches are saying,” McNeal said. “We’re actually putting the pressure on ourselves to be good and get better day in and day out. We’re not looking at it and seeing anything as pressure. We’re trying to take care of our end and do what we need to do to improve and make a run.”
Senior Jake Perry led the Panthers with 11 points. Seniors Jacob Shogren and Kobe McDaniel each added nine.
Led by Magaoay, the Bruins had four players score in double figures.
“We’re pretty balanced,” McNeal said. “We’re doing some good things. It’s just really nice to be able to have veteran players. Every single one of those guys are buying in and they’re playing together as a team. You can tell, we’re starting to get better.
“They don’t care who scores. That’s the best part about this team. They just want to win.”
At Cascade H.S.
Snohomish 12 11 17 12 —52
Cascade 24 20 28 10 —82
Snohomish—Reilly Responte 1, Jeffrey Smith 4, Jacob Shogren 9, Kobe McDaniel 9, Nick Adell 0, Mitch Morris 3, Peyton Plucker 5, Jake Perry 11, Kyle Sandifer 5, Kole Bride 4, Jonah Judd 1. Cascade—Trevon Blackmon 21, Santana Saiz 0, Drew Magaoay 27, D’Andre Bryant 10, Cameron McGrath 5, Alex Stewart 3, Muhammed Kolly 0, Brennen Hancock 0, Isaiah Gotell 16. Records—Snohomish 0-1 league, 2-2 overall. Cascade 1-0, 5-0.
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