Cashaw, Stevenson subdue Streamwood
Streamwood could hold its chin up.
Stevenson’s 6-foot-6 Colby Cashaw used the basketball rim to perform a chin-up.
During the third quarter of Stevenson’s 60-36 win in opening-round action of Wheeling’s Hardwood Classic on Tuesday, the athletic Cashaw took a bounce pass on the baseline from Chandler Simon and with an open lane to the basket slam-dunked the ball with two hands.
Cashaw’s excitement got the best of him, however, as he continued on with a chin-up, drawing a technical foul.
“That was letting out some frustration from the first half,” Cashaw said with a sheepish smile. “I didn’t know I pulled myself up that much. I meant to get a little bit in there, but not that much. Not a technical.”
Streamwood’s Dalton Lundeen hit the ensuing technical foul shots to pull the Sabres within 33-27. Vince Williams then finished a layup in transition to cut Streamwood’s deficit to 33-29 with 2:23 left in the third.
But Stevenson (8-1) closed the quarter with 6 straight points from Mike Fleming and 2 free throws from Matt Morrissey to lead 41-29. A 15-0 run by the Patriots in the fourth put the game out of reach.
“We fought back nicely,” said Streamwood guard Brandon Larkin-Guilfoyle, who posted game bests of 20 points and 10 rebounds. “The score doesn’t really indicate how we played.”
That Streamwood (2-9) was within striking distance late in the third was amazing considering the Sabres spotted Stevenson a 17-0 lead.
“We’ve started real well the last couple of games,” said coach Pat Ambrose, whose Patriots won their seventh in a row. “I think we’ve come out ready, come out energetic, come out focused. I just think Streamwood is a team that’s going to battle back.”
As he has done with regularity this season, Fleming delivered when the Patriots needed a basket.
The senior guard hit a 3-pointer and then a baseline jumper after Streamwood got within 19-15 in the second quarter.
Fleming opened the second-half scoring by sinking another 3, after Streamwood trailed only 28-21 at the break.
“He does that real well,” Ambrose said. “He and Jalen (Brunson) play well off each other. One plays point, and then the other plays point. They share the ball well, and you can’t key on one.”
Fleming led Stevenson with 19 points, including four 3-pointers, 5 assists and 2 steals. The freshman Brunson had 10 points and 6 assists, and also took 2 charges.
Cashaw finished with 13 points and 7 rebounds.
“I had a really bad start,” Cashaw said. “I just wasn’t really into it at first. Second half, we just took a deep breath, got back into it and started playing like we did in all those big wins that we had (in the first month of the season).”
In between Stevenson’s 17-0 run to start the game and its 15-0 run in the fourth, Streamwood played respectably. Starting with Larkin-Guilfoyle’s 2 free throws with 3:11 left in the opening quarter and ending with Williams’ basket late in the third, the Sabres outscored the Patriots 29-16.
“We’ve been struggling a little bit,” Larkin-Guilfoyle said. “But this game shows we can play with anybody.”