BELL BUCKLE, Tenn. – The Cascade Champions (13-8, 2-2) fell to .500 in District 9-AA after a 68-51 loss to No. 5 Summertown (16-4, 3-1) on Thursday night at The Stable. 

Tristin Billings led Cascade with a team-high 18 points, Kaleb Kelso finished with 13 points, but the Champions could only muster up 10 points in the fourth quarter as a team as the visitors pulled away.

Summertown was led by a game-high 21 points from Graham Howell, 17 points from Lleyton Sherman, and 14 points from Sawyer Sherman. 

After Cascade managed to trim the lead to just three points, 49-46, when Tristin Billings converted on a three-point play with 6:24 remaining, Summertown slammed the door shut by closing on a 19-2 run, sparked by back-to-back and-ones. First, Andrew Mabry converted on an old-fashioned three-point play, then on the following possession, Lleyton Sherman converted on a four-point play to give the visitors a lightning-quick 10-point lead with 5:24 remaining. This sequence seemed to suck out any air Cascade might have had left for another late-game rally, and Doug Worsley eventually emptied his bench with three minutes to go.

Summertown controlled the game from the jump, taking a 15-11 lead at the end of the opening period. In the second, the Eagles outscored Cascade, 16-13, to take a 31-24 lead heading into the halftime locker room despite Billings and Kelso combining for 19 points in the half.

Coming out for the second half, Summertown survived an early Champions’ run to trim the lead down to three points, 39-36, closing the final 2:00 of the third quarter on a 10-5 mini-run to take a 49-41 lead heading into the final frame.

In that fourth quarter, the hosts mounted one final push, but ultimately came up well short in the fourth of eight District 9-AA contests during the regular season.

The Champions fall to 13-8 overall, and currently sit in a tie for third place with Community in the District 9-AA standings. Cascade is scheduled to travel to non-district foe, Huntland, on Tuesday, weather permitting. Cascade returns to district play next Friday with a road trip to Loretto, LIVE on The Zinger 100.9 and AM 1400 at 5:45 p.m.

CASCADE: Billings 18 (3), Kelso 13 (1), Rodgers 7 (1), Stone 3 (1), Gulick 3 (1), Jones 3 (1), McElroy 2, Pilkington 2, Watson, Beasley, Wood, Clay, Taylor. 

SUMMERTOWN: Howell 21 (3), L. Sherman 17 (4), S Sherman 14 (1), Blackwood 6 (2), Mabry 3, Edwards 3 (1), Lindsey 2, Springer, Hallmark, Holt.