Caldwell County rode a hot start to victory at Dawson Springs as the Tigers continued a strong start to the season.
Daelyn Lander scored 25 of his career-high 31 points in the first half as Caldwell defeated Dawson 92-75 Friday night in 7th District play at Panther Gym.
Pax Aikins added 22 points as Caldwell improved to 3-1 overall and 2-0 in district play. The Tigers also won all four of their preseason contests.
Lander had 14 points in the first quarter as Caldwell came out firing, building a 33-16 lead after 8 minutes.
The Tigers led by as much as 22 points in the second stanza before getting to halftime with a 58-43 advantage.
But it was Dawson Springs (0-4, 0-2) that got out of the gate quickly in the second half. The Panthers scored nine straight points to cut Caldwell’s lead to 58-52.
However, Dawson could get no closer.
Caldwell got to the end of the third period with a 69-59 advantage.
The Panthers crept to within seven points in the fourth quarter before the Tigers pulled away late to get out of town with a 17-point triumph.
Easton Bourland spearheaded Dawson’s second-half charge and finished the night with six 3-pointers as part of his 28-point performance.
The Panthers got 18 points from Cooper Burge and 12 from Jaydon Plunkette. Noah Riley just missed scoring in double figures with nine points.
For Caldwell, Kese Wilson added 10 points while Ari Wells had nine points and a team-high 13 rebounds. Jack Roach had eight points and eight boards.
Caldwell’s 58 first-half points tied for the fifth-most in school history. The record is 67 in the first half of a 123-71 win over Providence in February of 1991.
The Tigers have won 19 of the last 21 meetings with Dawson. However, it was the Panthers who beat Caldwell in the 7th District tournament semifinals last February.
The Tigers hold a 103-45 advantage all-time against Dawson.
The teams will meet again Jan. 20 in Princeton.
Next up for Caldwell is a trip to Hopkins County Central on Tuesday, with first place in the 7th District standings on the line. The Storm is also 2-0 in league play.
Dawson will host Madisonville-North Hopkins Tuesday in district play.
Caldwell County 33 25 11 23 — 92
Dawson Springs 16 27 16 16 — 75
Caldwell County (3-1, 2-0)—Lander 31, Aikins 22, K. Wilson 10, Wells 9, Roach 8, Phelps 8, D. Wilson 4.
Dawson Springs (0-4, 0-2)—Bourland 28, Burge 18, Plunkette 12, Riley 9, Slaton 6, McKnight 2.
