The Cascade Lady Champions had a strong finish in both road games earlier this week, but ended up splitting games at Smyrna and Fayetteville.
At Fayetteville on Tuesday, Cascade nearly played the Lady Tigers even in every quarter.
The Lady Tigers never truly were able to pull away and as such, no lead ever felt comfortable.
A stellar effort by Lani Jones got Cascade going on a strong start in the first frame.
Jones knocked down three treys in the opening frame en route to her game-high 23 points.
Fayetteville built a slim, 14-11 lead after the first frame and despite scoring 18 in the second quarter, led by just seven at the half.
While both offenses were clicking in the first half, both slowed considerably in the third quarter, with Fayetteville out-scoring Cascade just 6-3.
Cascade’s only points in the quarter came on a made 3-pointer by Annabelle Calvert.
Although both offenses ground to a near halt in the third quarter, both took off in the fourth frame, setting up a thrilling finish.
Cascade relied on its ability to get to the line and in the fourth, connected on 8-of-12 tries, with Jones shooting 5-of-6 in the quarter.
Jones’ 23 points led all scorers, while Abrielle Presley added nine.
As a team, Cascade connected on six treys, with Jones knocking down five.
Autumn Nunemaler and Gracie Hoagland were the lone Lady Tigers to reach double figures, scoring 17 and 15, respectively.

Cascade 11 14 3 20 — 48
Fayetteville 14 18 6 20 — 58

Cascade: Lani Jones 23, Abrielle Presley 9, Annabelle Calvert 6, Jordan Green 6, Maribel de la Rosa 2, Makenna Lamb 2.
Fayetteville: Autumn Nunemaler 17. Gracie Hoagland 15, Hannah Griffin 9, Amaria Thomison 9, Elexus Hunphrey 3, Sheneka Nance 3, Isabella Martin 2.
3-Point goals: Cascade (6): Jones 5, Calvert; Fayetteville (6): Hoagland 3, Griffin 2, Nance.
Halftime score: Fayetteville 32, Cascade 25.

Cascade 52, Smyrna 45
A monster fourth quarter proved to be the difference as the Cascade Lady Champions held on for a 52-45 win at Smyrna.
Smyrna appeared to take control of the game in the first quarter after jumping out to a 14-8 lead.
In that first frame, the Lady Bulldogs connected on three treys, while Cascade managed just two field goals by Caroline Stone.
But the Lady Champs flipped the script in the second quarter as Stone went on a tear and was able to battle her way to the line and cash in on 8-of-9 attempts in the quarter to spur an 18-11 run
By halftime, Cascade had rallied for a 26-25 lead.
The seesaw affair continued into the third quarter as Cascade was held to just four points, baskets by Sophie Ray and Jordan Green, while Smyrna had rallied for the 33-30 lead by the end of the third quarter.
That lead didn’t hold, however, as Cascade got hot from the perimeter in the fourth quarter and drilled six 3-pointers to power a 22-point fourth quarter.
Abby Littrell hit a pair of 3’s, while Kaydence Miller hit three of her own.

Cascade 8 18 4 22 — 52
Smyrna 14 11 8 12 — 45

Cascade: Caroline Stone 18, Kaydence Miller 9, Abby Littrell 6, Lani Jones 4, Sophie Ray 4, Annabelle Calvert 3, Jordan Green 3, Maribel de la Rosa 2, Makenna Lamb 2, Abrielle Presley.
Smyrna: Edinbugh 17, King 9, Edmondson 5, Johnson 5, Saffold 3, Norman 2, Richardson 2, Hill 2.
3-Point goals: Cascade (6): Miler 3, Littrell 2, Calvert; Smyrna (5): Edinbugh 2, Edmondson, Johnson, King.
Halftime score: Cascade 26, Smyrna 25.