Fouls take toll on Lady Champions

MURFREESBORO -- Cascade and Middle Tennessee Christian engaged in a tightly-contested contest on Friday night with second place in the District 9-A standings on the line.

After a torrid start, a number of fouls caught up with Lady Champions. The host Lady Cougars captured the lead midway through and managed to keep at least one claw in the advantage before winning 53-49.

"We just got complacent, we let them fight their way back in," Cascade coach Chad Spencer said.

The defeat drops Cascade's overall record to 9-5 with a 4-2 mark in 9-A, which leaves them in a three-way tie with Van Buren County and MTC for second place.

"Tonight was the first time since I've been here that I really could tell that the girls are changing and they were giving it everything they've got," Spencer said. "They were upset in the locker room. You don't get upset in a ballgame unless you put your heart into it."

Tiffany Gibbs was hot for the Lady Champs in the early going, tallying four field goals in the first quarter alone. The teams were knotted at 11-all entering period No. 2.

Making 5-of-6 free throws kept the visitors from having to pay dearly for posting only three field goals in the second stanza. Nevertheless, Katie Dunn scored with 6 seconds to go in the half to put MTC in the locker room up 24-22.

Dunn got hot in the third quarter, netting seven points.

"Next time we play them we've got to do a better job of guarding Katie Dunn. She's a player," Spencer said.

The Lady Cougars stretched their advantage out to 31-24 before Cascade kicked it into gear. Baskets by Megan McBee and Trena Bowman in the quarter's final 38 seconds slimmed the Orange and Black deficit to 36-34.

Cascade never got over the hump in the fourth quarter. A Bowman bucket drew her team to within 50-48 with 19 seconds to play.

Alex Martin stepped up with a pair of free throws on the subsequent possession to keep the Lady Cougars in front by two possessions.

An intentional foul call breathed life into the Lady Champs with 7.3 seconds showing, but a missed free throw and a turnover on the in-bounds play dismissed their comeback attempts.

Dunn led all scorers with 17 points. Sara Sims had 11.

M.K. Potts totaled eight of her team-high 15 points in the fourth quarter for Cascade. Bowman and Gibbs finished with 11 apiece.

Cascade tries to get this loss out of their head as they prepare for Boyd Christian on Tuesday night at 6 for the first game to the second half of the district schedule.

"I hope that team camaraderie that we're building will take us through the second half," Spencer said.

Having gone through a grueling road schedule to start the season, Cascade enjoys plenty of time on their own hardwood down the stretch with Forrest being their lone regular season district matchup away from Wartrace.