BOTHELL — When junior center Isaiah Gotell was in the game, Cascade gave Woodinville everything it could handle in a Class 4A regional boys basketball game.
But when the 6-foot-5 Gotell went to the bench with his third foul late in the first quarter of Saturday’s game, the Falcons took advantage.
In the nine minutes Gotell sat out to close the first half, Woodinville went from a one-point deficit to a 10-point halftime lead and that margin stood up the rest of the way in an eventual 63-53 victory at Bothell High School.
With the win, the Falcons advance to next week’s Class 4A state tournament at the Tacoma Dome. The defeat ends Cascade’s season.
Gotell, one of only two Bruin starters taller than 6-1, picked up a defensive foul early in the first quarter and then another with just over two minutes to play in the period. But with 50 seconds on the clock he was whistled for an offensive push-off foul under the basket, and he went to the bench for the rest of the half.
The Bruins led 12-11 at the time and had a 21-19 lead midway through the second quarter, but Woodinville closed the half with a decisive 15-3 burst.
Cascade’s Brennen Hancock, a 6-3 forward, also had two fouls at halftime “and that hurt us,” said Bruins coach Darrell McNeal. “With two of our bigs in foul trouble … we go from a decent sized team to a really small team.”
Woodinville’s lead was 52-36 through three quarters, but Cascade still had some fight left. The Bruins opened the final period with a 15-2 flurry, drawing within 54-51 on a Hancock layin with 41/2 minutes remaining.
The Falcons countered with an offensive rebound basket — one of eight they had in the game — and Cascade followed with a long 3-point try by guard Cameron McGrath. The shot from beyond the top of the key just kicked off the rim and Woodinville would go on to pull away, scoring most of its remaining points at the free throw line.
“For my kids to come back and battle, that’s a heck of a job,” McNeal said. “If they’re in the game in the first half, who knows what happens. But I’m proud of our effort. We didn’t quit, we didn’t roll over, we fought to the end.”
Senior guard Brevin Brown gave the Bruins an early lift, scoring eight of the team’s first 10 points with a 3-pointer, a three-point play on a fast-break layin, and another layin. Brown added five more points early in the second quarter, giving him 13 in the first 10 minutes, and he went on to finish with 21.
Woodinville’s Tony Miller, a 6-6 junior forward, led all scorers with 25 points. He scored 10 points at the free throw line and the rest were layins and offensive putbacks, save for one 3-pointer late in the third quarter.
The Bruins closed their season with a 15-11 record. Cascade dropped three of its first four games and then had a 3-5 stretch midway through the schedule, but finished by winning six of its last seven games before the loss to Woodinville.
“It’s been a good season for us,” McNeal said. “To only be in my second season (as head coach) and to get to the state regionals, it’s just a heck of a job (by everyone). It just says that we’re doing the right things (as coaches) and the kids are doing the right things.
“We didn’t roll over when we could’ve rolled over (during the team’s earlier struggles),” he said. “We cinched it up and kept playing, and I’m so proud of our guys and what they accomplished this year.”
At Bothell H.S.
Cascade12121217—53
Woodinville13211811—63
Cascade_Trevor Blackmon 0, Brevin Brown 21, Cameron McGrath 9, Isaiah Gotell 8, Brennen Hancock 6, Justin Gordon 9, Tre Poole 0.
Woodinville_Mitchell Jones 0, Micah Johnson 6, Demetri Ilias 14, Jesse Davis 2, Lance Coomar 5, Michael Roth 2, Tony Miller 25, Zack Oates 9, Adam Taplett 0.
3-point goals_Brevin Brown 2, Cameron McGrath 3, Justin Gordon 1, Micah Johnson 1, Lance Coomar 1, Tony Miller 1, Zack Oates 1.
Records_Cascade is 15-11. Woodinville is 18-6.
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