Cascade coach Kevin Weeks likes where his team is at the halfway point of the District 8-A standings.

Having made one trip through the schedule, the Champions now sit with a 3-2 8-A record following Friday night’s 70-66 win over Huntland.

“We’re becoming mentally strong and guys that can play under pressure. I’m proud of them for that. We didn’t shoot the ball well from the free throw line, but we made some big ones when it counted,” he said.

For the second game in a row, Cascade had to fight to the final buzzer and make key plays in down the stretch to secure a win.

In the final minute against the Hornets, Huntland cut what was a comfortable eight-point lead to a single possession with some key shooting from the perimeter and the ability to stop the clock and get to the line.

Each time the Hornets threatened, Cascade found an answer, typically from seniors Steele Carter and Brandon Heath.

“That’s a good basketball team. They made some threes and they have some really good players,” Weeks said.

Huntland certainly wouldn’t go quietly, connecting on seven triples in the fourth quarter.

As a team, the Hornets made 11 throughout the game.

While the crisp shooting from the perimeter allowed Huntland to keep it close, ultimately it was Cascade’s ability to make the most of its possessions and limit turnovers that allowed the Champs to hold on for the win.

Following the first quarter, Cascade committed just six turnovers, four of which came in the second half.

Heath also navigated the game after picking up an early third foul.

His savvy play allowed Cascade to keep with the normal rotations, ultimately deciding the outcome in the game.

“What impressed me about Brandon was he got his third foul early and he said he could play with three and never got another foul. He was able to push the ball and not get himself in trouble and he was able to guard his man,” Weeks said.

Cascade also got a big boost off the bench from Chance Brown, who harassed Huntland on the defensive end of the court all night long.

“Chance has really grown up. Early in the year it was hard to keep him out there very long. He still makes some mistakes, but defensively, we have to have him out there. He’s going to get steals and get kids to make mistakes,” Weeks added.

Justis Carter led three Champions in double figures with 16 points, while Heath and Steele Carter added 13 and 11, respectively.

While back-to-back wins certainly were a big boost for Cascade’s morale, Weeks says his team can’t get complacent and needs to be hungry to tackle the District 8-A top dogs of Eagleville and Fayetteville.

“We have to realize we’re 3-2 and our two losses are to teams that were in the state tournament last year. We have to go into next Tuesday with a mindset that they’re beatable. We can’t be satisfied with 3-2 right now. Our mindset has to be we can win every game,” he said.

Cascade will be on the road Tuesday evening at Fayetteville.

Cascade 12 16 19 23 — 70

Huntland 14 13 12 27 — 66

Cascade: Justis Carter 16, Brandon Heath 13, Steele Carter 11, Ethan Swan 8, Chance Brown 7, Seth Countess 6, Landon Lane 4, Izzy Batts 3, Lucas Clanton 2.

Huntland: Eli Stevenson 16, Colton Ray 15, Garrett Jernigan 11, Will Jolley 8, Dylan Schultz 7, Bryson Johnson 6, Kaleb Stovall 3.

3-Point goals: Huntland (11): Ray 5, Stevenson 2, Jolley 2, Shultz, Stovall; Cascade (3): Lane, Batts, Heath.

Halftime score: Cascade 28, Huntland 27.