Early regional final deficit proves too much for MV

     In the end, it was too big a deficit to overcome.

     Cascade used a combination of aggressive defense and strong rebounding to roll up a 23-8 lead in the Class 2A, Region 4 girls basketball championship game against Maquoketa Valley.

     That 15-point margin wound up being the final margin, as Cascade earned a return trip to the State Girls Basketball Tournament with a 53-38 win in the game, played Monday, Feb. 18 at Dubuque Senior.

     Maquoketa Valley made a couple of runs, getting back to within three twice in the third quarter, but couldn’t catch up to the defending state champion Cougars. Cascade qualified for its sixth state tournament in the past seven years.

     “We knew going in that it was going to be a good game,” Maquoketa Valley coach Scot Moenck said. “You can’t get down big against good teams like Cascade. But to our kids’ credit, they fought back.”

     Cascade benefitted from nine steals and five blocks to earn the win. The Cougars jumped to a 14-3 lead by the end of the third quarter, then opened the margin to 15.

     The Wildcats made things interesting late in the second quarter and early in the third. They scored the final nine points of the first half to close the gap to six, 23-17.

     Then, Ella Imler hit a three-point basket to open the third quarter, and MV was suddenly within three points. Cascade’s Rachel Trumm scored, and Maci Freiburger answered with a put-back for the ‘Cats, and Cascade led 25-22 with six minutes left in the third quarter.

     The Cougars closed that quarter on a 13-6 run, however, leading 38-28. Cascade then used a three-point shot by Jordan Simon, and four straight free throws, as part of a 9-4 run that pushed the lead back to 15.

     That lead reached 16 before Freiburger hit a three-pointer with 58.3 seconds left to make it a 14-point game, but Cascade leading scorer Nicole McDermott (18 points) sank two free throws to finish the scoring.

     “In the end we just couldn’t hit shots,” Moenck said. “We got good looks; it was just not our night.”

     Sam Wall and Freiburger led the Wildcats in scoring with 11 points apiece. Emerson Whittenbaugh added six points.

     The Cougars were strong at the free throw line, sinking 15 of 17 (88 percent.) Besides McDermott, Cascade had two more double-digit scorers: Abby Welter with 15 and Skylar Dolphin with 12.

     Maquoketa Valley ended its season with a record of 20-3. The Wildcats tied for the Tri-Rivers Conference, West Division championship with North Linn, as each carried conference records of 13-1.