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Cascade pulls off a ‘gutsy’ girls’ basketball regional final win, holding off another Regina comeback
11th-ranked Cougars head to Class 2A state tournament with 50-47 win
CEDAR RAPIDS — For Mike Sconsa, it was all about his team.
For the Cascade players and fans, it was just as much about Sconsa.
After twice having to step away from the program for health reasons over the past four seasons, Sconsa will be taking another team to the state tournament.
The Cougars built a 14-point lead in the third quarter only to see Iowa City Regina take the lead with just over two minutes to play. Baskets from reserves Josie Manternach and Brooklyn Trumm proved to be the difference as Cascade took down the Regals, 50-47, in a Class 2A regional final final at at the Cedar Rapids Kennedy High School gym.
“It was gutsy,” said Sconsa of his team's finish. “We found some ways to get buckets when we needed them. They made a run, but we didn't break.
“We aren't the prettiest thing to look at. It's a motto I go back to all the time that you do not have to be perfect to be successful.”
The 11th-ranked Cougars (17-6) will meet top-ranked Dike-New Hartford (23-2) in a state quarterfinal game at 6:45 p.m. Tuesday at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines.
No. 6 Regina closes at 19-5.
After suffering a stroke in 2020 and undergoing a kidney transplant before the end of last season, Sconsa had his team in position for another trip to state. The players knew how much it meant to get their coach back to Des Moines.
“This is big for him,” said junior Molly Roling, who finished with a team-high 15 points. “After (falling in the 2022 state quarterfinals) on a buzzer beater and him having to leave last season was a bummer for all of us. We really wanted to do this for him.”
The teams battled on even terms through much of the first half before Sconsa’s daughter Harper, a freshman sharpshooter, hit three 3-point baskets in the second quarter to give the Cougars a 29-22 lead at the break.
“Those were big,” Coach Sconsa said of his daughter, who finished with 14 points off the bench. “She's a good kid. Her consistency is what has helped us a lot in the postseason. She put in a lot of time this summer in the gym and I'm just so happy the varsity girls have allowed her to be part of the core of the team.”
The surge continued in the second half. When Manternach converted midway through the third quarter to give Cascade a 39-25 lead, things looked bleak for the Regals.
Regina showed the same resolve it had in rallying for a dramatic overtime win over Maquoketa Valley in the regional semifinals. Morgan Miller connected on a pair of 3-point baskets to close the third quarter, cutting the margin to 41-33 entering the final stanza.
The Regals kept coming and when Ella McLaughlin hit a trey with just over two minutes left to give her team a 47-46 lead, it looked grim for the Cougars.
“I think we just settled down and leaned on each other,” Roling said. “When we saw them hit some shots we started taking some bad shots. We just had to calm down and do what we know we can do — play great defense.”
A Manternach basket with just over a minute to play returned the lead to the Cougars. Regina then turned the ball over. Cascade worked the shot clock down and Trumm had to put the ball up. She missed her initial try, but the rebound came back to her in the lane and her bank shot pushed the lead to 50-47.
Regina’s Morgan Squiers missed an open 3 in the waning seconds, but the ball went out of bounds off Cascade. The Regals got the ball to Miller near half-court. She dribbled to the top of the key, but her shot to tie bounced off the rim, setting off a wild celebration for the Cascade faithful.
Miller led the Regals with 14 points, McLaughlin added 11 and Clark had nine after sitting much of the first half with foul trouble.
Addison Frake was also in double figures for Cascade with 10.
“We're on top of the world,” Roling said of playing next week in Des Moines. “Nobody thought we would be here.”
Cascade 50, Iowa City Regina 47
CASCADE (50): Addison Frake 5 0-0 10, Molly Roling 6 3-4 15, Claudia Noonan 0 0-0 0, Ella Nauman 1 0-0 3, Maggie McDermott 0 0-0 0, Kate Green 0 0-0 0, Brooklyn Trumm 2 0-0 4, Harper Sconsa 5 0-0 14, Josie Manternach 2 0-0 4. Totals: 21 3-4 50.
IOWA CITY REGINA (47) Alli Clark 3 3-4 9, Morgan Miller 4 2-2 14, Ella McLaughlin 4 1-2 11, Morgan Squiers 2 0-0 5, Caitlin Martin 3 0-0 6, Lucy Nolte 0 0-0 0, Ella Keune 1 0-0 2. Totals: 17 6-8 47.
Cascade 10 19 12 9 - 50
IC Regina 8 14 11 14 - 47
3-point goals: Cascade 5 (Sconsa 4, Nauman), Regina 7 (Miller 4, McLaughlin 2, Squiers), Total fouls: Cascade 7, Regina 8, Fouled out: none. Technical fouls: none.
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