For the second time in a week, the Caldwell County Lady Tigers lost a tough 7th District battle to the Hopkins Central Lady Storm Monday night, this one in heartbreaking fashion. Sophomore Maddie Tow hit a layup with four seconds to go as the Lady Storm rallied from double digits down to beat the Lady Tigers 50-48 in Mortons Gap.
The game started off like Caldwell County was going to cruise to an easy win. The Lady Tigers opened on a 10-2 run behind the play of Jacey Jaggers and Bella McConnell. After leading by as many as ten points in the opening quarter, Caldwell County ended the quarter holding a 14-5 lead.
With McConnell scoring eight points in the second quarter, and Hopkins Central battling turnover issues, Caldwell County pushed the lead out to as many as 11 points in the second quarter. With the Lady Tigers up 23-12, Keira James scored seven unanswered points for the Lady Storm, and when the half ended Hopkins Central had cut the lead to 25-17.
Early in the 3rd quarter, Caldwell County continued to keep the Lady Storm at arms length, and still held an 11 point lead at 32-21. Hopkins Central then applied their full court pressure tightly, and the turnovers began to happen for the Lady Tigers. The Lady Storm scored the last nine points of the quarter, and what was once a double digit lead was down to two.
Caldwell County seemed to settle down in the opening moments of the 4th quarter, outscoring Hopkins Central 8-1 to push the lead back out to 40-31. But the pressure began to take it’s toll again on the Lady Tigers, and Hopkins Central went on a 10-0 run to take a 41-40 lead. The game went back and forth the rest of the way. The scored was tied at 41, 43, and 45. A big moment in the game came when Caldwell County point guard Jada Boyd fouled out with two minutes to go.
In the final minute, Caldwell County found itself trailing 48-46, when Jacey Jaggers drove the length of the court into the lane and dished off to Bella McConnell for a game tying lay up. However, the Lady Storm came down the court and got an open layup by Maddie Tow with four seconds left. The Lady Tigers attempted a long pass down the court, but Hopkins Central was able to intercept the pass and run out the clock.
Bella McConnell led the way for the Lady Tigers with 19 points, while Jacey Jaggers added 17. For Hopkins Central, Keira James was the leading scorer with 17 points, while Keke Ikeard added 10.
The loss dropped Caldwell County to 11-10 overall and 2-3 in the district. Hopkins Central improved to 12-12 overall and 5-1 in the district. The Lady Storm locked up the top seed in the 7th District tournament with the win.
