SHAWN DIGIANFELICE
Sports Writer
The Cascade Champions saw their season come to an end in the region 5-AA semifinals, falling to defending state champion Loretto 65-43 on Tuesday night at East Hickman High School. Cascade (16-14) opened the scoring as senior Tyler Rogers connected on the game’s first basket, but Loretto (17-10) quickly answered with seven straight points. Mason Tidwell scored twice in the opening minutes and Grant Fisher added a three-pointer to give the Mustangs a 7–2 lead midway through the first quarter. Senior Noah Watson helped spark Cascade with a steal and a free throw, but Tidwell answered again to make it 9–3. The Champions responded with a 5–0 run as senior Henry Stone hit two free throws and sophomore Cooper McElroy knocked down a three-pointer to cut the deficit to 9–8. Loretto maintained the edge, but senior Caleb Kelso kept Cascade within striking distance by converting four consecutive free throws on back-to-back possessions, trimming the margin to 13–12 late in the quarter. The Mustangs closed the period with the final three points and took a 16–12 lead into the second.
Saber Franklin opened the second quarter scoring for Loretto, extending the lead to 18–12. Baskets from Stone and sophomore Ryder Pilkington narrowed the gap to 18–16 with just over five minutes remaining in the half. Loretto then seized control with a decisive 10–0 run over a three-minute span, highlighted by three-pointers from Fisher and Kylon Wilkerson, pushing the lead to 28–16. The Mustangs carried a 32–18 advantage into the final seconds of the half before McElroy completed a three-point play, after being fouled for Cascade to make it 32–21. Wilkerson answered for the Mustangs hitting a three at the buzzer giving Loretto a 35–21 lead at halftime.
Cascade stayed within reach for much of the third quarter, but Loretto closed the period with a 9–2 run to extend the lead to 51–32 heading into the fourth.
The Champions continued to battle, cutting the deficit to 56–40 with just over three minutes remaining, but Loretto answered with nine unanswered points to put the game out of reach. Freshman Ryan Frazier knocked down a late three-pointer to account for Cascade’s final points as Loretto secured the 65–43 win.
First year Cascade coach Doug Worsley knew that containing Loretto’s two best players was the key to having a chance at pulling the upset.
“We wanted to make someone besides Tidwell and Wilkerson score to beat us,” Worsley said. “They had some guys step up and knock some shots down, that really put us in a tough spot, but I was proud of the guys for continuing to play hard up to the end.”
Worsley was very complimentary of his seven seniors buying in to the style of basketball that he wanted to implement when he took the job last summer.
“These guys bought in from day one. They were so coachable and such a good group to be around. They would ask questions when they didn’t understand something and always did everything to the best of their ability. That says a lot about what kind of people they are and how they have been raised and coached in the past. They will all be successful in life because of these traits,” he concluded.
Cascade’s Cooper McElroy led with 11 points and Caleb Kelso with 10, with Loretto’s Kylon Wilkerson and Mason Tidwell with 16. The Champions finished the year with a record of 16-14.
Cascade: 12–9–11–11 — 43
Loretto: 16–19–16–14 — 65
Cascade: Cooper McElroy 11, Caleb Kelso 10, Noah Watson 7, Henry Stone 6, Ryder Pilkington 4, Ryan Frazier 3, Tyler Rogers 2, Swaggerty, Gullick, Billings, Clay, Taylor, Woods, Jones, Beasley, Barrett.
Loretto: Kylon Wilkerson 16, Mason Tidwell 16, Cam Andrews 13, Grant Fisher 8, Cooper Burleson 4, Casen Springer 4, Jayden Aaron 2, Saber Franklin 2, James, Bowers, Aaron, Burleson, Hargrove.
Three-Point Baskets: Cascade (2): McElroy, Frazier Loretto (6): Wilkerson (2), Fisher (2), Andrews, Tidwell,
Halftime Score: Loretto 35, Cascade 21
Records: Cascade 16–14, Loretto 17–10
Cascade senior Noah Watson goes up for two in the region 5-AA semifinals on Tuesday night. Watson would score seven points as the Champions would fall 65-43 to Loretto.
Photo by David Smith