Cougars roar in RVC showdown

CASCADE -- It meant nothing, they insisted.

But the Cascade Cougars played like it meant everything.

Class 2A second-ranked Cascade fired on every cylinder imaginable for the final three quarters and blitzed No. 10 Iowa City Regina, 60-34, in a girls' basketball battle of River Valley Conference division leaders Tuesday night at Cascade High School.

The Cougars weren't throwing a parade afterward, despite improving to 19-0 overall, 15-0 in the RVC.

"It's just one game," Coach Mike Sconsa said. "It doesn't mean a thing. Regina's a great team, and we might see them again (in regionals). That's the one that counts."

Sconsa apparently shared the same message in the locker room after the game, because Abbey Meyer echoed it.

"This game gives us confidence that we can play really well, but this game in itself means nothing," she said.

Regina (16-3, 14-3) more than competed with the Cougars for the early stages of the game. The Regals led 17-12 when Nicole Becker banked in a 3-pointer from the left wing to start the scoring in the second quarter.

The rest of the game was a Cascade avalanche. The Cougars outscored their guests by a 48-17 margin the rest of the way.

"They played very intense, very hard," Regina Coach Clark Anderson said. "They pressed us, and they came after us."

Cascade closed the first half with a 12-3 spree and led, 24-20, at intermission. The Cougars came out of the locker room, scored the first nine points of the second half and kept the pedal to the floor.

Meyer scored 15 points to lead all scorers. Holly Hunt, Carolyn Trumm and Bailey Holmes added nine apiece.

Holmes came off the bench to hit three long-range shots. Cascade was 6 of 9 from 3-point range, prompting a member of the Cascade student section to place a giant blue raindrop under a makeshift "Make It Rain" sign above a gym entrance each time the Cougars connected from deep.

Cascade got 18 bench points, and -- despite a size disadvantage -- outrebounded the Regals, 31-28.

Maybe the game mattered. Maybe it didn't.

But if it didn't, the Cougars sure faked it well.

"To be successful, we have to defend, we have to rebound and go from there," Sconsa said.

Jenna Lehman led Regina with 14 points and nine rebounds.

CASCADE 60, IOWA CITY REGINA 34

At Cascade

IOWA CITY REGINA (34): Katie Wick 1-5 2-4 4, Nicole Becker 2-8 0-0 6, Hannah Seaman 1-2 0-0 3, Jenna Lehman 5-11 3-3 14, Hannah Stein 1-2 2-4 4, Kennedy Brown 1-5 1-2 3, Cameron Verducci 0-6 0-0 0, Jenny Wick 0-0 0-0 0, Ashley Gaffey 0-0 0-0 0, Sarah Lehman 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 11-39 8-13 34.

CASCADE (60): Abbey Meyer 5-11 4-6 15, Holly Hunt 3-6 3-4 9, Elle Hoffman 1-3 2-2 5, Mallory McDermott 2-4 0-0 4, Carolyn Trumm 4-11 1-2 9, Megan McDermott 2-5 0-0 4, Katie Soliday 0-3 0-0 0, Bailey Holmes 3-3 0-0 9, Riley Takes 0-2 0-2 0, Katelyn Coyle 1-1 0-0 3, Lynsey Dolphin 1-1 0-0 2. Totals 22-50 10-16 60.

Halftime: Cascade 24, Regina 20. 3-point goals: Regina 4-16 (Becker 2-7, Seaman 1-2, J.Lehman 1-2, Verducci 0-5), Cascade 6-9 (Meyer 1-3, Hoffman 1-1, Me.McDermott 0-1, Holmes 3-3, Coyle 1-1). Team fouls: Regina 12, Cascade 13. Fouled out: none. Rebounds: Regina 28 (J.Lehman 9), Cascade 31 (Ma.McDermott, Trumm 5). Assists: Regina 5 (five with 1), Cascade 10 (Meyer 3). Steals: Regina 3 (J.Lehman 2), Cascade 11 (Meyer 3). Turnovers: Regina 18, Cascade 8.