The Cashion Wildcats’ boys and girls basketball teams kept their 2025 perfect with undefeated runs in their second tournament appearances of the season.
After both Wildcats’ squads started the new year with wins over Kremlin-Hillsdale and Morrison, they traveled to Minco for the 2025 Three Rivers Tournament from Thursday, Jan. 9, to Saturday, Jan. 11, where they both picked up two wins and will now play for the tournament championship.
Coach John Hardaway and the Cashion boys took down Watonga in the opening round, 94-51, then narrowly defeated Crescent in the semifinals, 58-55. The Wildcats mounted a second half comeback to win the semifinals, in part due to 14 points each from Parker Mitchell and Drake Woody. They’ll now face Okarche in the tournament championship on Wednesday after their scheduled road matchup at Seiling Tuesday night.
Cashion’s boys entered the tourney as the No. 2-seed with an overall record of 8-3, good for 13th in the Class 2A boys’ rankings. They now sit at 10-3 as they face Okarche, the top-ranked Class A team in the state.
The Wildcats’ girls, led by coach Andrea Taylor, also won their first and second round games in Minco, beating Hennessey, 33-22, and Fairview, 49-46. Megan Shafer’s late free throws helped seal the win for Cashion in the three-point semifinal victory. She finished with 16 to lead the team.
Cashion sits at 9-4 thus far this season and will face Oklahoma Bible Academy for the tournament championship. Like their male counterparts, the girls rank 13th in the 2A standings and will also play a Tuesday Road game at Seiling before the tourney final on Wednesday.