Late North Putnam rally falls short at Cascade

North Putnam's Jaylen Windmiller puts in a layup after a steal and was fouled on the play, completing the three-point play as part of his seven points for the Cougars in a 40-35 loss at Cascade Tuesday.

Banner Graphic/TRENT SCOTT

CLAYTON – The opening three-game win streak for North Putnam to start the 2022-23 boys’ basketball season seems so far away as the holiday break begins.

A visit to Cascade Tuesday night saw the Cougars come up empty for the fifth-straight outing, keeping close but unable to scale a 13-point deficit in the fourth quarter, falling 40-35.

“We had a lot of good looks,” North Putnam head coach Vince Brooks said. “We had a lot of offensive sets that our kids executed really well but we just didn’t hit shots.

“We did a lot of things right tonight, though it’s hard to see that with such low scoring. It was just a rough night putting the ball in the hoop.”

Neither North Putnam (3-5) or Cascade (4-3) had their best first halves of basketball, particularly behind the arc after Nick Parsons hit a pair of threes that made it 8-4, as the two teams combined to go 3-of-17 in the first 16 minutes.

Connor Sanders added four free throws to make it 12-4 with a late Jalen Windmiller basket making it 12-6 Cadets after a quarter of play.

Devon Weigle opened the second period with a basket before the Cougars scored the next seven points as Brayden Monnett hit a three and a free throw, Windmiller scored in the post and Isaac Pickel added another free throw. The Cadets racked up eight fouls in the period, though the visitors were only 2-of-5 from the stripe during that time.

Weigle kept the hosts marginally in front with a late jumper that made it 16-13 at halftime though Kaden Helderman opened the second half with a layup to close the gap to one again.

Three-straight Cascade baskets pushed the lead to seven before Windmiller converted a steal for a three-point play and Brady Barber got a layup from another steal to make it 22-20.

Sanders scored twice around a three from Drake Dodson that gave the Cadets a 29-20 lead entering the final period, stretching the lead to 33-20 as Sanders and Weigle scored to open the frame.

North Putnam chipped off five points through Pickel and a Nolan Hackleman three before Parsons and Monnett traded threes to keep the gap at eight at 36-28.

Monnett added two free throws and a three, though the senior was unable to complete the four-point play, with a Mason Garriott baskets cutting the lead to a single possession at 38-35.

Cascade couldn’t connect on the first two front ends after entering the bonus but Parsons put the game away with two late free throws as the Cougars couldn’t find a late bucket to tie.

“One of the things I’ve been proud of the guys is that it doesn’t matter who we’re playing, we tend to compete really well,” Brooks said about the late rally. “We’ve come up short more times than we’ve liked.

“Tonight, down 13, we clawed our way back and made a great effort down the stretch.”

North Putnam has a week off before playing in the Monrovia Holiday Classic Dec. 27-28, starting with Greenwood Christian Tuesday at noon.

In the all-Cougar battle, North Putnam has won the two previous meetings, though with a new coach and a couple of years between matchups, Brooks expected Greenwood Christian to be a strong squad to open the holiday season with.

“(Greenwood Christian) has a different coach, different players and is a completely different team,” Brooks said. “They look really good and it’s going to be a tough challenge for us.

“Our guys will compete and they’ll be ready to play.”

Scoring

North Putnam (9-19 2FG; 4-16 3FG; 5-12 FT) — Monnett 14, Windmiller 7, Pickel 5, Helderman 4, Hackleman 3, Garriott 2

Cascade (11-22 2FG; 4-13 3FG; 6-8 FT) — Parsons 13, Sanders 10, Weigle 6, Jo. Johnson 4, Dodson 3, Ju. Johnson 2, Tharp 2

Statistics