Late run dooms Eagles
CLAYTON — After a sluggish third quarter in which they were outscored 21-7, South Putnam’s Eagles came back strongly to start the fourth period and cut Cascade’s lead to 44-40 with 5:17 to play.
Cascade’s Dalton DuBois took over at that point, scoring 15 of his team’s final 19 points to help the Cadets record a 44-point second half and pick up a 63-48 win over the Eagles.
Cascade improved to 5-8 with the win, while South Putnam fell to 6-7.
Cascade took a 12-8 lead at the first stop, as Dillon Compliment and DuBois each hit a trey in the final three minutes of the period.
South Putnam’s Allen Plunkett scored all of his team’s first-period points, sandwiching a pair of treys around a short jumper. His final trey came with 5:21 left in the period, and the Eagles were shut out the rest of the quarter.
The Eagles got things going in the second period, as Thomas Fanning hit a pair of back-to-back treys following a Plunkett basket to put South Putnam up 16-14 with 4:57 left in the half.
Fanning had another basket to start a 5-0 run, in which Steven Schnepp had a free throw and a basket.
Wes Lesko added a free throw with :59.1 left in the half to give the Eagles a 22-19 lead at the intermission.
DuBois started the third period with a putback and a trey, and Ross Stephenson added a basket to give Cascade a 26-22 lead.
After another Schnepp basket, the Cadets then took off on an 11-0 run. DuBois had a pair of dunks following steals near mid court, and Cascade led 36-24 with 1:34 left in the third period.
Austin Arnold had a basket and Plunkett added a trey with :11.1 seconds left, but Stephenson negated that trey with one of his own at the buzzer for a 40-29 lead at the final stop. Six South Putnam turnovers in the third period contributed to the Eagles only scoring seven points in the period.
Plunkett had a putback and a short jumper to start the final period, and after four points by Cascade’s Mason Tharp the Eagles got seven in a row to reach that 44-40 juncture.
Lesko had two free throws and a basket in that run and Plunkett added a trey.
After Benson Walker of Cascade and Lesko traded baskets, DuBois got on a roll. The burly 6-5 senior hit a layup and added a free throw for a 3-point play, and Chase Western hit Cascade’s last non-DuBois basket of the game with 3:42 left.
DuBois hit consecutive treys and consecutive hoops for a 61-46 lead with 1:01 to play and break the game open for good. South Putnam only managed six free throws over the final 3:43 of the game.
DuBois finished with 29 points, hitting 11 of 13 field goals (4 of 4 from 3-point range) and 3 of 3 at the line. No other Cadets reached double figures, but Stephenson added nine and Michael Anderson had seven.
Plunkett paced South Putnam with 24 points, hitting 8 of 20 shots (4 of 10 from long range) and 4 of 4 at the line. Fanning added 10 and Lesko had seven.
South Putnam will travel to Northview tonight for its final Western Indiana Conference divisional game. Cascade hosts Indian Creek on Saturday in a WIC game.
SOUTH PUTNAM (48) — Plunkett 8-20 4-4 24, Fanning 2-8 2-2 10, Scott 0-5 0-0 0, Schnepp 2-4 1-2 5, Watson 0-0 0-0 0, Arnold 1-2 0-0 2, Lesko 2-2 3-5 7, Gregory 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 16-40 FG, 10-13 FT, 48 TP
CASCADE (63) — DuBois 11-13 3-3 29, Anderson 2-5 2-2 7, Compliment 1-6 0-2 3, Stephenson 4-8 0-2 9, Western 2-2 0-0 4, Walker 2-5 1-1 5, Phillips 1-2 0-0 2, Tharp 1-6 1-2 4. Totals 24-47 FG, 7-12 FT, 63 TP
South Putnam 8 14 7 19 — 48
Cascade 12 7 21 23 — 63
3-point shooting — South Putnam 6-19 (Plunkett 4-10, Fanning 2-4, Scott 0-3, Scott 0-1, Schnepp 0-1), Cascade 8-21 (DuBois 4-4, Anderson 1-2, Compliment 1-6, Stephenson 1-4, Phillips 0-1, Tharp 1-4). Turnovers — South Putnam 12, Cascade 9.