Elgin Owls sweep past Cache 61-34 in Western Conference tilt

CACHE — Elgin’s Jaylen Nettles and Christian Reed combined for 33 points Tuesday as the Owls knocked off Cache 61-34 in a Western Conference matchup.

Nettles led all scorers with 17 points followed by Reed with 16. Jake Lohman and Nicholas Meraz scored nine each. The win improved Elgin’s record to 4-3.

“After the Christmas break, it’s always a struggle but they responded and played well as a team,” Elgin coach Ryan Green said. “They shot the ball well from the three. They also created a lot of turnovers that resulted in points.”

Elgin held a 31-7 halftime lead after the Owls held Cache scoreless in the second quarter. Cache tried to rally with a 21-point third quarter, but the Owls stopped that effort by scoring 19 points of their own to lead 50-28 heading into the fourth period.

“We were definitely in control after that,” Green said.

Nettles received words of praise from his coach for his overall effort.

“He played really well for us. He handled the ball very efficiently and was huge on the boards,” Green said. “I thought Christian Reed also hit some big shots from the field.”

Reed shot 60% from field, but he wasn’t the only one making key shots. As a team, Elgin hit eight three-point baskets, including three treys from sophomore Nicholas Meraz.

Elgin was scheduled to play Guthrie in the first round of the Weatherford Classic Thursday, but the final score was not available at press time. 

Guthrie is ranked No. 17 in Class 5A. With a win, Elgin would play the winner of the Tuttle-Lawton Ike game 5:30 p.m. Friday. An Elgin loss against Guthrie would pit the Owls against the loser of the Tuttle-Lawton Ike game at 11:30 a.m. Friday.