Up by 10 points at halftime, Dawson Springs coach Matt Fraliex challenged his team, especially on defense.
His team responded by outscoring Heritage Christian Academy 46-16 in the second half on their way to a 93-53 senior night win at the Panther Pit on Thursday.
HCA did a good job of matching Dawson bucket for bucket in the first half, trailing by one point after one quarter and by one early in the second quarter.
Nathan Wheatcraft came off the bench to score 10 points in the first half to keep the Warriors close. The Panthers used balanced scoring from their starters to push out to a 10-point lead at the break.
Dawson Springs responded with an 11-0 run to begin the second half as they cranked up the defensive pressure. Heritage Christian, which had nine turnovers and outrebounded Dawson 19-16, committed 11 turnovers in the third quarter and was outscored 24-7.
Ethan Slaton scored eight of his 19 points in the third quarter, and Noah Riley scored eight of his 19 in the fourth quarter. Riley added seven assists and five steals to his stat line.
Aaron Hensley led HCA with 13 points, four rebounds, and four assists. Noah Arvin added 11 points and eight rebounds, and Cameron Oesch pulled down a game-high 15 rebounds.
Dawson Springs had five players score in double figures, with Jaydon Plunkette putting up 12 points, eight rebounds, and eight assists.
Thursday’s output was a season high for the Panthers, who have won four straight games. They will host Hickman County for homecoming on Friday, ahead of Tuesday’s district semifinal against Hopkins County Central.
HCA’s season is over as the Warriors opted out of the postseason earlier this year.
Heritage Christian Academy 18 19 7 9– 53
Dawson Springs 19 28 24 22– 93
Heritage Christian Academy (4-24) – Hensley 13, Arvin 11, Wheatcraft 10, Morgan 8, Travis 6, Brown 3, Oesch 2
Dawson Springs (10-15) – Slaton 19, Burge 19, Bourland 17, Riley 16, Plunkette 12, McKnight 7, Duke 3
Rebounds – HCA 33 (Oesch 15, Arvin 8), Dawson Springs 35 (Burge 10, Plunkette 8)
Assists – HCA 9 (Hensley 4, Travis 2), Dawson Springs 20 (Plunkette 8, Riley 7)
Steals – HCA 4 (Hensley 2), Dawson Springs 10 (Riley 5)
