MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – The Cascade Lady Champions were unable to contain the Class 3-A Murfreesboro Central Magnet Lady Tigers on the road, suffering their fifth defeat in the last six games, 66-52, on Monday night.

Cascade was able to cut it to as close as five points, 48-43, after Caroline Parker blew by Clara Johnson for two of her 14 second-half points with about three minutes to go, but a Bethany Jackson four-point play on the next possession put a stop to the run and secured the game for Central Magnet.

Jackson finished with a double-double, scoring a game-high 23 points and grabbing 11 rebounds while shooting 5/7 from three-point range and converting 6/7 at the charity stripe. Clara Johnson knocked in four three-pointers, ending the night with 14 points while Julia Stuible finished with a double-double of 13 points and 11 rebounds. 

In total, Central Magnet shot 51.2% from the field and dominated on the glass, outrebounding Cascade, 35-16, as the Lady Champions shot just 33.3% from the field despite connecting on seven threes as a team. 

Caroline Parker finished with a team-high 16 points. Sophie Ray, who scored the first seven points of the game for Cascade, finished with 13 points after scoring 11 in the first half. Kaegan Young was held without a made field goal through the first 16 minutes, but still ended the night with 10 points.  Freshman guard Lizzie Keele also added eight points, including a pair of three-pointers.

Lizzie Keele (11) looks to drive to the basket at Central Magnet. She finished with eight points in Monday's loss.

David Smith

Thanks in part to Ray’s fast start, Cascade ended the opening period tied at 13-13. Coming off the disheartening loss to Huntland on Friday, the energy from Janie Demonbreum’s team looked more like what she has come to expect to start.

In the second quarter, Central Magnet switched to a zone to slow down both Ray and Cascade’s offensive movement, and it worked. The Lady Tigers outscored the Lady Champs, 14-7, to take a 27-20 lead going into the halftime locker room. Stuible’s size in the paint proved difficult to navigate over for Cascade, forcing the visitors to settle for tough mid-range shots or rushed three-pointers. 

In the third quarter, Central Magnet narrowly outscored Cascade, 13-11, to take a 40-31 lead into the final frame. 

Cascade made a run in the fourth quarter thanks to some turnovers by the Lady Tigers – the Lady Champs forced 16 total Central Magnet turnovers – and went on a quick 10-3 run to cut the lead to 48-43 before Jackson’s back-breaking four-point play abruptly ended the run and the comeback attempt.

Central Magnet improves to 3-6 on the season.

Cascade falls to 3-5 overall. They are scheduled to travel to Gatlinburg to play in the Smoky Mountain Classic starting on Thursday.