Cashmere vs. Mt. Spokane: 5 Takeaways

One of the most anticipated games of the year took place tucked away in the mountains of Cashmere, Washington. Mt. Spokane came into the matchup as a top three team in 3A. Cashmere came in as a top 2 team in the 1A class. Both teams have aspirations and a legitimate chance to win a State Championship in March. Multiple Division 1 colleges were in attendance and for good reason as many prospects were on the floor at once. <em>Prep Girls Hoops</em> was in attendance for the heated matchup that resulted in Mt. Spokane winning 67-56. <em>Here are 5 takeaways from Cashmere vs. Mt. Spokane:</em> 1) <strong>Mt. Spokane is the epitome of a team</strong>- Coach David Pratt is not the type of coach to box players in, but everyone on the roster seems to understand their role very well. They have a mixture of rebounders, inside finishers, multiple three point shooters and some lock down defenders. 2019 G <strong>Averi Adams</strong> is a high IQ shooter. 2020 G <strong>Emma Main</strong> can penetrate and knock down open shots. 2019 F <strong>Alyssa Powell</strong> is a strong rebounder in the paint. 2021 P <strong>Gracey Neal</strong> is a quickly developing post that can rebound and score in double digits. Mt. Spokane has a lot of depth and multiple different players can lead the team in scoring on any given night. 2) <strong>Cashmere would be a tough win for almost any team in Washington regardless of class</strong>- Cashmere played extremely hard in the matchup with Mt. Spokane. They are undersized at most positions, but they make up for it with grit and heart. 2020 PG <strong>Hailey Van Lith</strong> gets a lot of the publicity, but the surrounding pieces bring their best effort on every possession. 2022 <strong>Riley Johnson </strong>played excellent off ball defense chasing her man around screens all night. Cashmere competes at the 1A level, but they hung right in there with Maxpreps' current number one team in the state regardless of class. 3) <strong>Emily Nelson is a great pickup for Saint Martin's University</strong>- The 2019 6'1 Post for Mt. Spokane is the ultimate team player. If another player on her team makes a great play, she is the first person to congratulate them. Her passing skills from the high post are about as good as any post in the state and she can finish with either hand in the paint. She finished the game with 12 points and double digit rebounds. 4) <strong>Cashmere has one of the best home crowds we have seen this season</strong>- The crowd was large, loud and passionate from start to finish. It is always a treat to see a community back their basketball program and Cashmere did just that. 2021 F <strong>Peyton Brown's </strong>solid spurt had the crowd especially hyped. Cashmere is not easy to come into and win! 5) <strong>The future college basketball talent was very impressive</strong>- Mt. Spokane's team includes multiple college commits.  2020 G <strong>Jayda Noble</strong> is headed to UW. 2019 G <strong>Aspyn Adams</strong> will be at LMU next year and 2019 P Emily Nelson will be at Saint Martin's. Mt. Spokane's 2021 G <strong>Niveya Henley</strong> is a Division 1 recruit and finished the game with 21 points, 5 rebounds and a pair of assists. Cashmere also has 2020 6'1 W <strong>Grace Erdmann</strong> who is a college prospect due to her length and versatility. 2020 PG Hailey Van Lith scored a game high 40 points and has offers from multiple major college programs from around the country. &nbsp; Be on the lookout for both of these teams to be a major impact come March! &nbsp;