A run early in the second quarter and another midway through the 3rd quarter turned out to be the difference for the Caldwell County Lady Tigers, as they picked up their first 7th District championship since 2014. The Lady Tigers knocked off the Dawson Springs Lady Panthers 61-50 in front of a loud crowd at the CAB at Caldwell County High School.
The Lady Panthers, who stunned top seeded Hopkins Central in the semifinals, got out to a quick 5-2 lead. Behind the play of Lucy Goffinet, the Lady Tigers responded with a 9-0 run to take an 11-5 lead. Caldwell County would settle in and take an 18-11 lead at the end of the 1st quarter.
The Lady Tigers then put the pressure squarely on Dawson Springs, opening the 2nd quarter with an 8-0 run to push the lead out to 26-11. The Lady Panthers began to take the ball down inside to junior Erin Orten to try and cut into the lead, with some success. By half, the Lady Panthers had trimmed the lead to 10 points at 34-24.
Dawson Springs made one serious run at the Lady Tigers in the second half. The Lady Panthers opened the 3rd quarter on a 8-2 spurt to cut the lead to 4 at 36-32. However, Caldwell County answered right back with an 11-0 run to push the lead back out to 47-32, with 1:43 left in the 3rd quarter, and effectively put the game away.
Dawson Springs could get no closer than eight points for the rest of the contest.
Jada Boyd was one of three Lady Tigers to reach double figures with 17 points. Jacey Jaggers added 15 points, while Bella McConnell scored 13. Brooklyn Cotton paced the Lady Panthers with 20 points, while Erin Orten added 19.
Caldwell County improves to 16-12, while Dawson Springs falls to 12-19. Both teams will advance to the 2nd Region tournament, which will be played beginning Monday at Webster County.
