CHAPEL HILL — Through the first three games of the season, the Cascade Champions have played well at times, but have struggled to put together a full four quarters and finish off an opponent.

After surrendering a lead at Forrest (2-3) during the third quarter on Friday night, the Champs (1-3) responded with a strong fourth quarter to not only notch the first win of the season by beating the Rockets 55-43, but also give head coach Chris Lawson his first win at the helm of the program.

“I'm really, really proud to be at Cascade with these guys. It's a special place,” Lawson said.

Early on, Cascade took away Forrest's inside game and forced the Rockets to rely on a perimeter attack.

Forrest's Brennon Miller accounted for the only shots from the floor in the first quarter, but it was Cascade's diverse offense that allowed the Champs to double up the hosts in the first frame.

Senior Ethan Swan accounted for six points in the first frame, including a 3-pointer, while sophomore Jackson Davis tacked on five more.

By the end of the first quarter, Cascade held firm control of the game's momentum with a 14-7 lead.

The Rockets continued to rely on the perimeter attack by Miller who added two more treys in the second quarter.

“It took us a little while to recognize 12 (Miller) was their only source of points for a while. He got loose and was knocking down shots. Give him credit and give them credit for getting him in position to get those shots,” Lawson said.

Even with Miller connecting from range, Cascade still clung to a 25-22 lead at the half.

That lead held until the 2:36 mark of the third quarter when a basket by Forrest's Cole Perryman gaave the Rockets one-point lead.

Forrest held that lead until Lucas Clanton connected on a basket to help ignite a 22-point fourth-quarter effort that allowed the Champs to secure the first win of the season.

“Down the stretch in the fourth quarter, we had 13 possessions with 11 positive possessions in a row and scored on 12 of them. I told them that shows tremendous growth. I'm really, really proud of them,” Lawson said.

Swan led the charge in the fourth with seven of his team-high 15 points, while Izzy Batts added six.

As a team, the Champions were 7-of-11 tries at the line in the fourth and 16-of-26 for the game.

While Swan provided a steady presence inside the paint, early foul trouble forced the Rockets to rely on Miller's hot shooting.

“They got in a little foul trouble early with their big guy and we were trying to take advantage of it. Overall, we did a pretty good job and finally got to where we wanted to be there towards the end,” Lawson said.

Miller finished with a 18 points in the game—all of which came from beyond the arc.

Friday's win over the Rockets marked the best offensive effort by the Champions this season.

Swan's 15 points led Cascade, while Batts also hit double figures and scored 10.

Davis added nine for the winners as well.

While the Champions were originally scheduled to face Central Magnet on Tuesday, COVID related issues forced that matchup to be canceled.

Instead, Cascade will face Marshall County on its home court on Tuesday evening at 7:30.

Cascade 14 11 8 22 — 55

Forrest 7 15 13 8 — 43

Cascade: Ethan Swan 15, Izzy Batts 10, Jackson Davis 9, Lucas Clanton 8, Landon Lane 6, Seth Countess 5, Alex Allison 2.

Forrest: Brennon Miller 18, CJ Sanchez 9, Cole Perryman 7, Walker Herring 6, Deason Jones 2, Andrew Timmons.

3-Point goals: Forrest (8): Miller 6, Perryman, Sanchez, Cascade (4): Clanton 2, Swan, Lane.

Halftime score: Cascade 25, Forrest 22.