After topping Dawson Springs by 30 points in the 2nd Region All-A tournament just over a week ago, the Caldwell County girls basketball team found things a little more difficult in Thursday night’s rematch.
The Lady Tigers rode a 27-point night from Paris Gray to turn back a spirited effort from the Lady Panthers and put the brakes on a two-game skid with a 69-53 victory.
Dawson Springs sees a three-game winning run come to an end to slip to 5-9 overall.
The Lady Tigers had lost four of five entering the game, but Gray got them off to a good start with eight 1st-quarter points. Caldwell led by as many as eight at 16-8 after Brylee Butts hit one of two free throws, but the Lady Panthers got a 3-pointer from Gracie Harper and Abby Ward beat the buzzer with a jumper to cut it to five.
Gray tossed in nine more points in the 2nd and a Butts putback gave the Lady Tigers a 35-18 lead with 2:25 to play in the half. Dawson Springs cut it to 11, but this time Caldwell scored as the clock ran out with a banked-in 3-pointer by 7th-grader Kmyiah Clark for a 40-26 advantage at the break.
Gray stayed hot with 10 points in the 3rd and the Lady Tigers led by as many as 16, but couldn’t deliver the knockout blow. Dawson Springs closed the quarter on a 7-2 run and another buzzer-beater, this one on a putback by Madelyn Huddleston, trimmed the margin to single digits with a quarter to play.
In the 4th, Butts scored five straight to give Caldwell a 20-point advantage with five minutes to play and 15 was as close as it got the rest of the way.
Ward scored six in the 4th to lead Dawson Springs with 23 and was joined in double figures by Harper with 13.
Gray’s 27 led all scorers, followed for the Lady Tigers by Butts with 18.
Caldwell County returns to action on Friday when they travel to Fort Campbell.
Caldwell County 18 22 13 16 — 69
Dawson Springs 13 13 16 11 — 53
Caldwell County (5-10) — Gray 27, Butts 18, Smiley 8, Hollowell 6, Clark 3, Thomas 3, McKinney 2, Williams 2
Dawson Springs (5-9) — Ward 23, Harper 13, Huddleston 7, Spurlin 7, Oldham 3
