BELL BUCKLE, Tenn. - The Cascade Lady Champions’ furious fourth quarter comeback attempt came up just short against Huntland on Friday night, falling 33-32 in a low-scoring affair at The Stable.

It was a rematch from the two’s overtime thriller on November 21 that finished 45-42 in Cascade’s favor, but this time it would be the Lady Hornets coming away with the heart-stopping victory.

Caroline Parker led all scorers with 11 points, including a clutch three-pointer late in the fourth quarter to cut into the Huntland lead. Kaegan Young was the only other Lady Champion to score in double-digits, finishing with 10 points on the night. 

Huntland was led by Kinsley Kilpatrick’s 10 points on the night, but the Lady Hornets got contributions from three other players with six points apiece: Madison Burks, Cantara Johnson, and Marley Phillips. 

Going into the fourth quarter trailing by eight points, 28-20, Janie Demonbreum opened the period with a lineup featuring three freshmen – Lizzie Keele, Lexi Comstock, and Jocelyn Laughlin – along with Caroline Parker and Kaegan Young, looking for defensive intensity to attack Huntland’s main weakness: their ball-handling. 

Cascade slowly but surely began to climb back into the game as the fourth quarter clock ticked on, forcing eight Huntland turnovers on seven steals in the process. The Lady Champs finished the night shooting an abysmal 22.4% from the field, but in the fourth quarter they connected on a pair of huge three pointers from Parker and Young, matching their total through the first three quarters. After Parker’s three-pointer swished through, the Lady Champions only trailed by one possession, 33-30, with 47.3 seconds to go. 

Huntland came out of the timeout and got the ball to Cantara Johnson, who was fouled. At the free throw line, she missed a pair, keeping the door open for Cascade. Huntland as a team finished the fourth quarter shooting just 1/8 at the charity stripe.

Laughlin’s layup with 19 seconds left – her first points of the game – got the Lady Champs to within one point, 33-32, and after Cascade fouled Johnson again, she headed back to the free throw line with exactly 11 seconds to go.

Jocelyn Laughlin (25) lays in her only 2 points of the game in the 4Q.

David Smith

After she once again missed both free throws, Stratton Davis came up with the biggest offensive rebound of the night. She immediately tried to put up a wild shot that careened off the backboard, leading to a mad scramble on the floor that ultimately ended in a tie-up, giving Huntland possession with just 4.8 seconds left on the clock. 

Davis was fouled on the inbound with 3.4 seconds left, but she too missed a pair of free throws. The rebound came to Young, but she only had enough time to throw up a half-court heave that had no chance, and Huntland would come away with the one-point win, 33-32.

To start the game, Huntland took a 10-9 lead at the end of the opening period. A Kaydence Miller putback buzzer-beater at the end of the quarter turned out to be Cascade’s final field goal of the first half, as the Lady Champs were unable to score more than two free throws in the second quarter. Huntland went into the halftime locker room with a 21-11 lead after outscoring Cascade, 11-2.

In the third quarter, Cascade fared a little better, outscoring Huntland, 9-7, but they still trailed by eight points, 28-20, heading into the frenetic fourth quarter. 

Huntland improves to 6-5 on the season.

Cascade falls to 3-3 overall, and is scheduled to travel to Murfreesboro Central Magnet on Monday night, LIVE on The Zinger 100.9 starting at 5:45 p.m.