Eastern finally beats Cascade
It was the home opener against an NAIA Division II opponent without its leading scorer, playing its second game in as many nights.
That’s why it was no surprise Eastern Washington’s two-time All-Big Sky Conference forward Marc Axton poured in 36 points, tying the school record with seven 3-pointers along the way.
Unbelievably, the Eagles needed the fifth-best scoring performance in school history to beat Cascade College.
The defensively-challenged Eagles did not shake the Portland-based Thunderbirds until the final three minutes, pulling out a difficult 78-66 win before 1,786 fans at Reese Court Wednesday night.
“It definitely feels good, but it doesn’t matter to me how many I score as long as our team wins. That’s the important thing,” Axton said. “We won tonight, but we need to pick it up.”
First-year Eastern coach Mike Burns was certainly more impressed with the visitors than with his team.
“I take my hat off to those kids,” he said. “I coached NAIA basketball before and I know about those day-of-the-game, seven-hour van rides those kids endure.
“I told my kids these guys were going to come in hungry and they were going to be thankful for an opportunity to play a Division I school. If you don’t bring a great effort, they were going to wind up and swing and try to hit you. If they connect, they’re going to stagger you. That’s what they did. They came out early, connected and they had us back on our heels. The credit all goes to those kids and that coaching staff over there. They did a great job.”
Eastern turned the Thunderbirds backcourt of Malik Edwards and Joshua Garrett into all-stars, especially in the first half when Cascade (4-4) shot 52 percent, snared 18 rebounds and took a 38-33 lead. Edwards and Garrett combined for 29 of their 42 points and generally embarrassed whomever Burns sent out to guard them.
“We have to improve dramatically in terms of defensive effort,” said Burns, looking ahead to a Sunday afternoon matchup with 14th-ranked Washington in Seattle. “The last two times we’ve took the floor hasn’t been Eastern basketball the way it should be.”
Meanwhile, the Eagles (2-2) shot 34 percent, settling for 19 3-point attempts, making seven, and scoring only four baskets inside the arc.
The Eagles started the second half with a 9-2 run to take their first lead, but Cascade surged right back to 50-44 lead on Paul Hamilton’s tip-in with 11:23 to play.
That’s when Axton took over.
He drove for a basket, drained a 3 and made two free throws to put Eastern up 51-50 with 9:52 remaining. Eric Henkel followed with two free throws and the Eagles stayed ahead. Even what ended up as a 15-1 run that produced a 59-51 lead wasn’t enough to discourage the Thunderbirds, who only trailed 67-63 with less than 3 minutes to go.
Axton finished 11 of 19 from the field, including 7 of 12 on 3-pointers. The Eagles hit the boards hard in the second half, finishing with a 46-35 edge with Matt Nelson and Deuce Smith grabbing 10. Danny Pariseau had seven assists.
“I don’t think we all took them seriously,” Axton said. “With our defense lately, especially the last three games, we just haven’t shown it. We have to take pride on that end of the floor and get stops because defense wins games.”
Hamilton ended up with 15 points for the Thunderbirds, who played in Salem, Ore., Tuesday night and lost Jered Alsup with a hand injury.
Eastern Washington 78, Cascade 66
Cascade (4-4)–Hamilton 6-11 0-0 15, Palmer 1-6 0-0 2, Rylaarsdam 1-2 0-0 2, Garrett 8-20 3-4 20, Edwards 8-12 4-8 22, Diffenderfer 0-0 0-0 0, Heer 0-0 0-0 0, Bruce 0-3 1-2 1, Hutton 2-7 0-0 4. Totals 26-61-14 66.
Eastern Washington (2-2)–Henkel 0-5 4-4 4, Axton 11-19 7-10 36, Nelson 2-6 3-6 7, Smith 0-8 0-0 0, Pariseau 3-8 0-0 8, Scheffler 3-5 0-0 9, McCullough 1-1 0-0 2, Loe 1-3 1-2 3, Beitinger 1-3 5-8 7, Butorac 1-3 0-0 2, Nicholas 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 23-61 20-30 78.
Halftime—Cascade 38, E. Washington 31. 3-point goals—Cascade-17 (Hamilton 3-4, Palmer 0-4, Rylaarsdam 0-1, Garrett 1-5, Edwards 2-3), E. Washington 12-31 (Henkel 0-4, Axton 7-12, Smith-4, Pariseau 2-4, Scheffler 3-5, Loe 0-2). Fouled out—Rylaarsdam, Garrett, Smith. Rebounds—Cascade 35 (Hamilton, Garrett, Bruce 6),. Washington 46 (Nelson, Smith 10). Assists—Cascade 11 (Hamilton), E. Washington 19 (Pariseau 7). Total fouls—Cascade 27, E. Washington 15. A—1,786.