Unyielding Cascade whips MNW

DES MOINES -- Mike Sconsa considered the implementation of a new, junk defense.   Then he thought better of it. After all, why mess with success?   "I just thought we needed to do what we do," he said.   And nobody does it better than Cascade.   The second-ranked Cougars scored the first 15 points, held No. 15 Manson-Northwest Webster to 19-percent shooting and cruised to a 43-21 Class 2A quarterfinal victory at the girls' state basketball tournament Monday night at Wells Fargo Arena.   "We came out really strong. We were ready to play," said junior Carolyn Trumm, who scored seven points in the Cougars' early breakaway. "We played a great game. I'm very proud of this team."   A Class 3A semifinalist last year, Cascade (26-0) returns to the final four in a smaller class. The Cougars will face No. 4 Hudson (24-1) in a semifinal at 11:45 a.m. Thursday. Hudson outscored Woodbury Central, 84-75, Monday.   "We don't want it to end like it did last year (in a decisive loss to Davenport Assumption)," said senior guard Abbey Meyer. "This is a different team. We're a year smarter. We've grown as players and as a team. We're hoping for a different ending."   And if the Cougars defend as they did Monday, there are no limits.   Forget the junk. Cascade used what brought it here, an extended zone.   "Good old 2-3," Trumm said, beaming.   Cascade, which entered the tournament allowing a scant 31.2 points per game (fifth-best in the state, No. 2 in 2A), was unyielding as ever.   MNW didn't dent the scoreboard until Hunter Jud's free throw with 27 seconds remaining in the first quarter. It didn't hit a shot from the field until the 6:02 mark of the second period, when Faith Troshynski hit a 3-pointer to end an 0-for-10 drought.   The Cougars led 19-1 before they trey, and didn't allow MNW (20-6) any closer than 10 points.   Erin Gerke's trey seemed to give MNW some traction at 20-10, but Claire Molony scored inside, then Holly Hunt's steal and layup before the buzzer made it 24-10 at the half.   After that, the issue was never in doubt.   "They're the best defensive team we've seen," said MNW Coach Bret Larson, then adding with emphasis, "by far.   "(The Twin Lakes Conference) has a lot of good teams. But defensively, it's not even close. Nobody's as aggressive and covers as much ground as that team."   Cascade's speed more than makes up for a vertical deficiency. Despite a starting lineup that averages about 5-foot-6, Cascade outboarded its foe by a 31-27 margin and forced MNW into 7-of-36 shooting from the floor.   That prompted the following comment from a frustrated MNW student fan: "We're getting beat on the boards by a bunch of dwarfs."   Meyer was relayed that message, and responded:"We know we're short. People can make fun of us all they want. We use it to an advantage. We can't be big and strong, so we've got to be quicker and faster."   Meyer finished with 14 points, Trumm added 11 points and eight rebounds, and Elle Hoffman and Molony tacked on six points apiece.   Troshynski led MNW with eight points. As has been the case the last 17 games, it played without all-stater and UNI recruit Ellie Herzberg (elbow injury).  

CASCADE 43, MANSON-NORTHWEST WEBSTER 21  

Class 2A State Quarterfinal, at Wells Fargo Arena  

MANSON-NW WEBSTER (21): Faith Troshynski 3-14 0-1 8, Cloie Herzberg 1-4 0-0 2, Hunter Jud 0-6 2-6 2, Jocelyn Keller 1-3 0-0 2, Brenna Peters 0-4 2-5 2, Erin Gerke 1-3 0-0 3, Kourtney Condon 0-0 0-0 0, Alexis Caquelin 0-0 0-0 0, Emma Snell 0-0 0-0 0, Bri McGinty 0-0 0-0 0, Taylor Markert 0-0 0-0 0, Ashley Sousa 0-0 0-0 0, Rebnecca Krueger 1-2 0-0 2, Taylor Wood 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 7-36 4-12 21.  

CASCADE (43): Abbey Meyer 5-9 4-6 14, Holly Hunt 1-5 0-0 2, Elle Hoffman 2-4 2-2 6, Mallory McDermott 1-2 0-0 2, Carolyn Trumm 5-9 1-1 11, Lynsey Dolphin 0-0 0-0 0, Bailey Holmes 0-1 2-2 2, Katie Soliday 0-1 0-0 0, Katelyn Coyle 0-1 0-0 0, Megan McDermott 0-2 0-0 0, Riley Takes 0-0 0-0 0, Claire Molony 3-6 0-0 6. Totals 17-40 9-11 43.  

Halftime:  Cascade 24, MNW 10.

3-point goals: MNW 3-17 (Trohynski 2-9, Herzberg 0-1, Jud 0-4, Peters 0-1, Gerke 1-2), Cascade 0-4 (Meyer 0-1, Hunt 0-1, Holmes 0-1, Me.McDermott 0-1).

Team fouls: MNW 14, Cascade 17.

Fouled out: none.

Rebounds: MNW 27 (Peters 9), Cascade 31 (Trumm 8).

Assists: MNW 3 (Herzberg 2), Cascade 5 (Meyer 3).

Steals: MNW 3 (three with 1), Cascade 10 (Hunt 3).

Turnovers: MNW 17, Cascade 14.