Dawson Springs led briefly at 2-0 when Braxton Cotton netted the first basket of the game.
But Madisonville-North Hopkins used a 24-2 run over the rest of the first quarter to build a 24-4 lead. The third-ranked Maroons (27-3) never looked back in rolling to an 81-55 triumph in the semifinals of the 7th District tournament Tuesday night in Madisonville.
Senior big man Ksuan Casey poured in 34 points to lead the Maroons, who advance to Friday’s 7 p.m. district championship at Maroon Gym.
Casey had 15 points by halftime as Madisonville headed to the locker room with a 38-15 advantage.
He put up 11 points in the third quarter as the Maroons stretched the margin to 61-34 entering the final stanza.
Kenny White added 14 points and Deljuan Johnson had 11 as the Maroons defeated the Panthers for the third time this season and won their 16th straight overall.
Dawson, which ends the season at 13-18, got 18 points from Landon Pace. Cotton finished with 11 and Skylar Clark had nine.
Madisonville, the defending 2nd Region champion, also earned a berth in next week’s regional tourney at Hopkinsville High School with the win.
Dawson Springs 4 11 19 21 — 55
Madisonville-NH 24 14 23 20— 81
Dawson Springs (13-18) — Pace 18, Cotton 11, Clark 9, Dawson 7, McKnight 6, Neiters 4.
Madisonville-North Hopkins (27-3) — Casey 34, White 14, Johnson 11, Parker 6, Gaines 5, Stone 4, Reynolds 3, Frazier 2, Parish 2.
