MONROE – Taking it on the chops in their first couple of outings this year is proving to be the best thing that could have happened to the Cascade Bruins.
“Our guys are playing with a lot of confidence right now,” Cascade coach Kevin Rohrich said after his Bruins dispatched the Monroe Bearcats 74-58 in a Western Conference North Division game Tuesday night.
With its third consecutive victory after losing it’s first two games by a total of five points, Cascade (3-1 in division, 3-2 overall) moved into second place behind unbeaten Mount Vernon.
While the strong inside work of Marcus Guffey and Sean Carter again proved pivotal for Cascade, the Bruins also benefited by timely outside shooting and hard-nosed team defense.
Guffey led Cascade with 15 points, grabbed six rebounds and disrupted Monroe’s inside play with his four blocked shots. Carter added 10 points and nine rebounds.
“Marcus has really come out ready to play these last two games,” Rohrich said. “Sean Carter is so consistent. He’s a workhorse and the team feeds off of that.”
Trailing by 18 points early in the third quarter, Monroe (3-2, 3-2) crept to within 43-32 when Tyler Marley (16 points) made a foul shot to complete a three-point play and cap a 7-0 Bearcat run.
In response, Cascade’s Chris Hilliard hit a 3-pointer and back-to-back baskets by Jabrei Gill spiked the Bruins lead back to 50-32 by midway through the third quarter.
In the opening minute of the fourth quarter, Evan Churlin, who led Monroe with 18 points, made a 3-pointer to cut the deficit to 59-46, but just moments later Cascade’s Dirk Snel answered with a trey for the Bruins.
Perimeter-shooting Monroe shot 43 percent from the field in the game, but struggled from the 3-point line, managing to hit just five of 24 attempts.
Cascade, meanwhile, feasted inside with Guffey and Carter, but also shot 49 percent from the floor and efficiently connected on six of its 12 attempts from beyond the 3-point line.
Marley and Churlin did hit back-to-back 3-pointers with just under three minutes remaining in the game to draw Monroe back with 68-56, but the Bearcats could get no closer.
“We’ve come together more as a team,” Guffey said. “We have more maturity and we know how to end it.”
Gill and Hilliard scored 13 and 11 points, respectively. Hilliard made a trio of 3-pointers in the game.
Gill’s pesky defense spurred several breakaways for the Bruins.
“He’s quick, sometimes too quick,” Rohrich said with a laugh.
A game that was close in the opening minutes turned in Cascade’s favor midway through the first period with a 14-4 run that pushed the Bruins ahead 20-10 by early in the second period.
Jimmy Santjer (14 points) hit a 3-pointer to get Monroe back to within 20-13, but Cascade’s Mike Matson (13 points, 6-for-6 free throw shooting) nailed a 3-pointer to spark a 7-0 run and the Bearcats never again got within single digits.
“We’ve talked about putting things away,” Rohrich said. “And they have responded.”
At Monroe
Cascade16251815-74
Monroe10151617-58
Cascade-Matson 13, Sieh 1, Gill 13, Hilliard 11, Snel 9, Thomas 2, Guffey 15, Carter 10. Monroe-Churlin 18, Marley 16, Erickson 4, Santjer 14, Brown 2, Urness 4. 3-point goals-Matson 1, Hilliard 3, Snel 1, Guffey 1, Churlin 2, Marley 1, Santjer 2. JV score-Monroe 61, Cascade 58 (OT). Records-Cascade 3-1 in league, 3-2 overall. Monroe 3-2, 3-2.
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