The Madisonville-North Hopkins Maroons and the Dawson Springs Panthers both went into their Tuesday evening matchup looking for their first win. And after a hard-fought battle, it was Dawson that was able to come out on top with a score of 71-63.
The first quarter was very fast paced and back and forth, but Dawson Springs was able to take a 16-12 lead into a timeout with a little over two minutes left to play. Madisonville was able to score six quick points after the time, and that allowed them to take a 18-17 lead into the second.
Dawson’s Cooper Burge hit a three to give the Panthers back the lead to start the second, and their lead kept growing from there. They were able to start playing some really solid defense and that helped their lead grow to 37-30 by the halftime break.
After some more back and forth to start the third, Dawson had a 50-39 lead at a timeout about halfway through the quarter. Madisonville was able to get shots, but they were not capitalizing, and it lead to the Panthers having a 14-point lead going into the final quarter.
But the fourth is where things got interesting.
Dawson held a 13-point lead roughly halfway through the period, but a few Madisonville buckets cut it to eight and forced a timeout with four left to play. Dawson then had to call another timeout when the Maroons kept clawing back and cut the lead to just five.
But after that final timeout, Dawson was able to come up with some big stops down the stretch and make their free throws, and this led to the 71-63 win for the Panthers.
The Panthers had four players score in double-digits, but Jaydon Plunkette led all scorers with 21 points on four made shots from beyond the arc.
Jeremiah Lewis led the way for the Maroons with 16 points, while Orion Underwood and Gavin Oldham were both able to contribute 13 points each.
Madisonville will be looking for revenge when they face the Panthers again later this season, but right now their focus is on getting that first win. And they will get another chance to do that on Friday, December 19, against Boone County. The game will be played at Clinton County as part of the Best of The Twin Lakes Holiday Classic, and will tip off at 8 p.m.
As for the Panthers, they will be looking to start a win streak in their next game on Thursday against the University Heights Blazers. Their game is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. at University Heights Academy.
