SNOHOMISH – Early on, the Cascade Bruins couldn’t miss.
But oh, how things changed.
After scoring 15 points in the first five minutes Friday night against the Snohomish Panthers, previously undefeated Cascade tallied just 15 points over the next 19-plus minutes. Behind stifling man-to-man and matchup-zone defense, and a game-high 19 points from senior forward Nate VanDuine, Snohomish toppled Cascade 66-47 in a Western Conference North Division boys basketball game at the Snohomish High gym. Michael V. Martina / The Herald
“They kicked our butt in every facet of the game,” Cascade coach Kevin Rohrich said of Snohomish, which out-rebounded Cascade 26-18 and converted 27 of 43 two-point attempts (63 percent), most of which came from deep in the paint.
Junior guard Dirk Snel’s 18 points and four 3-point buckets led Cascade, which slipped to 2-1 in division and 3-1 overall. The Bruins shot a woeful 31 percent (14-for-44) from the field.
“We’re really happy with this game,” said Snohomish coach Len Bone, whose team improved to 3-1, 5-1 by defeating a team that was predicted to win the Wesco North in The Herald’s preseason coaches poll.
VanDuine (seven rebounds), Tim Diederichs (13 points, nine boards) and Zach Wilde (11 points), all forwards, helped Snohomish dominate inside. Meanwhile, guard Josh Desimone provided invaluable defense to help limit Mike Matson, Cascade’s leading scorer, to zero field goals and just three points. Matson entered the game averaging 17.3 points per outing.
Cascade had no answer for VanDuine, an energetic 6-foot-4 standout, who returned after a one-game absence. VanDuine missed Snohomish’s game at Oak Harbor on Tuesday due to a coach’s decision, Bone said.
“It was great to have him back tonight,” said Wilde, a versatile 6-5 sophomore, who scored eight points in the third quarter to help Snohomish extend its lead to 46-30.
Though Bone was pleased with his team’s effort, he said Snohomish is far from satisfied:
“It’s December 16. This gives us another win, but we’ve got a long way to go.” Cascade, which joined Snohomish in a four-way tie last season for the Wesco North title, also has plenty on its to-do list.
“They played a lot harder than we did,” Cascade’s Rohrich said. ” … We never had five guys on the floor who played hard (at one time).”
In some cases a fast start launches a team to a decisive triumph. But on Friday, Rohrich said it actually worked against Cascade.
“Sometimes that’s not always a good thing to come out hot like that,” Rohrich said. “Then guys start standing around.”
When the Bruins sagged, Snohomish poured it on. The Panthers trailed 15-9 before their defense clamped down and helped generate a 19-2 run en route to a 30-22 halftime advantage. Snohomish never looked back.
Said Rohrich, “The team that played harder tonight won.” VanDuine (11) and Diederichs (seven) were Snohomish’s top scorers through two quarters. VanDuine repeatedly sliced through Cascade’s defense for driving lay-ins. His two-handed fast-break dunk tied the score at 15-15 with 1:24 to play in the first.
Snel and Hilliard scored eight first-half points apiece to pace Cascade. But Snohomish limited Cascade’s top two scorers, Matson and Guffey, to just four total points through 16 minutes. Matson and Guffey entered the game averaging a combined 33 points per game.
At Snohomish H.S.
Cascade157817-47
Snohomish18121620-66
Cascade-Snel 18, Matson 3, Hilliard 10, Carter 2, Guffey 8, Thomas 1, Sterling 1, Singh 2, McDaniels 2. Snohomish-Desimone 4, Follis 9, Wilde 11, Diederichs 13, VanDuine 19, Jenkins 6, Williams 4. 3-point goals-Snel 4, Hilliard 2, Diederichs 1. JV-Snohomish defeated Cascade. Records-Cascade 2-1, 3-1 overall. Snohomish 3-1, 5-1.
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