Cassville Wildcats hold off Southwest
January 20, 2021
Lee Stubblefield
The Cassville Wildcats improved to 3-9 on Friday night, holding on for a 48-45 win over the visiting neighbors from Southwest. A large and mostly unmasked crowd gathered for the game despite the winter weather.
This was a game that Cassville had to win for the Wildcats to gain any momentum to finish the season. In this game, the Cats stuck to their strengths, scoring in the paint, rebounding, and playing ferocious defense.
Cassville’s only glaring weakness Friday night was on display at the free throw line. The Wildcats converted only 7 of 19 free throws, leaving the door open for a Southwest comeback. The Trojans hit 16 of their 24 foul shots.
Carson Whittemire played a little hero ball, pouring in ten of his game-high 18 points in the first quarter to rev up the Cassville student section. The Wildcats jumped out to a 5-2 advantage before Caden Uthe drilled a long trey from the left wing to put the Trojans in front, 8-7, at the 4:57 mark.
It would be the only Southwest lead of the game.
Trailing 16-13, the Trojans went cold from the floor in the second quarter. Ice cold. Snow-covered parking lot cold. Southwest shooters could not penetrate Cassville’s shifting zone, nor could they find the range from outside. The Wildcats pushed to an 11-point lead at 25-14 with 3:52 left in the half when Caleb Leach went coast-to-coast for a score.
Uthe scored from the line and the floor to finish the quarter, and trim Cassville’s lead to 27-20.
Cassville’s Aidan Cook opened the third quarter scoring, wowing the crowd with a wild circus shot in the paint. The Trojans made a run in that quarter, but three drives through the paint boosted the Cassville lead back to double digits at 35-25. Then Whittemire nailed his third trey of the game for a 38-27 lead.
Southwest’s Cruz Marquez fired up a trey as the clock expired, but was fouled. After missing all three of his previous free throws, Marquez swished three in a row and cut the Cassville lead to 38-32 at the final break.
In a hotly contested fourth quarter, the Trojans cut the lead to two points when Zak Corwin bombed from outside twice. The Wildcats then spurted back to a five-point advantage.
Two plays defined the final moments. Isaac Hadlow missed a shot at the rim, then fought for two boards on the play, drew a foul, and converted both free throws for a 46-41 Cassville lead with 3:33 to play. Then Marquez drove the lane and dropped in a short jumper, but the basket was waved off on a charging call, a basket that would have cut the Cassville lead to two points entering the final three minutes.
Although the Trojans would pull within three points on three different occasions in the closing minutes, they could never catch up completely.
In the final seconds, Corwin got a good look at a tying three from the deep right corner. But his hurried attempt barely grazed iron, and the Wildcats celebrated a 48-45 victory.
Cassville scorers: Carson Whittemire, 18; Aidan Cook, 14; Caleb Leach, 9; Isaac Hadlow, 3; Hernan Hernandez, 2; Peter Littlefield, 2.
Southwest scorers: Caden Uthe, 14; Cruz Marquez, 13; Zak Corwin, 13; Brendyn Paulsen, 3; Zak Starr, 1; Lucas Paulsen, 1.
The Cassville Wildcats improved to 3-9 on Friday night, holding on for a 48-45 win over the visiting neighbors from Southwest. A large and mostly unmasked crowd gathered for the game despite the winter weather.
This was a game that Cassville had to win for the Wildcats to gain any momentum to finish the season. In this game, the Cats stuck to their strengths, scoring in the paint, rebounding, and playing ferocious defense.
Cassville’s only glaring weakness Friday night was on display at the free throw line. The Wildcats converted only 7 of 19 free throws, leaving the door open for a Southwest comeback. The Trojans hit 16 of their 24 foul shots.
Carson Whittemire played a little hero ball, pouring in ten of his game-high 18 points in the first quarter to rev up the Cassville student section. The Wildcats jumped out to a 5-2 advantage before Caden Uthe drilled a long trey from the left wing to put the Trojans in front, 8-7, at the 4:57 mark.
It would be the only Southwest lead of the game.
Trailing 16-13, the Trojans went cold from the floor in the second quarter. Ice cold. Snow-covered parking lot cold. Southwest shooters could not penetrate Cassville’s shifting zone, nor could they find the range from outside. The Wildcats pushed to an 11-point lead at 25-14 with 3:52 left in the half when Caleb Leach went coast-to-coast for a score.
Uthe scored from the line and the floor to finish the quarter, and trim Cassville’s lead to 27-20.
Cassville’s Aidan Cook opened the third quarter scoring, wowing the crowd with a wild circus shot in the paint. The Trojans made a run in that quarter, but three drives through the paint boosted the Cassville lead back to double digits at 35-25. Then Whittemire nailed his third trey of the game for a 38-27 lead.
Southwest’s Cruz Marquez fired up a trey as the clock expired, but was fouled. After missing all three of his previous free throws, Marquez swished three in a row and cut the Cassville lead to 38-32 at the final break.
In a hotly contested fourth quarter, the Trojans cut the lead to two points when Zak Corwin bombed from outside twice. The Wildcats then spurted back to a five-point advantage.
Two plays defined the final moments. Isaac Hadlow missed a shot at the rim, then fought for two boards on the play, drew a foul, and converted both free throws for a 46-41 Cassville lead with 3:33 to play. Then Marquez drove the lane and dropped in a short jumper, but the basket was waved off on a charging call, a basket that would have cut the Cassville lead to two points entering the final three minutes.
Although the Trojans would pull within three points on three different occasions in the closing minutes, they could never catch up completely.
In the final seconds, Corwin got a good look at a tying three from the deep right corner. But his hurried attempt barely grazed iron, and the Wildcats celebrated a 48-45 victory.
Cassville scorers: Carson Whittemire, 18; Aidan Cook, 14; Caleb Leach, 9; Isaac Hadlow, 3; Hernan Hernandez, 2; Peter Littlefield, 2.
Southwest scorers: Caden Uthe, 14; Cruz Marquez, 13; Zak Corwin, 13; Brendyn Paulsen, 3; Zak Starr, 1; Lucas Paulsen, 1.