Whenever Caldwell County needed a basket, Tink Clark came up with one.
The Lady Tiger junior had 10 points in the first quarter to help put Caldwell on top, then came up with some big baskets late to hold off a Madisonville-North Hopkins comeback bid.
Clark finished with 24 points, six rebounds, four assists and three steals as the Lady Tigers picked up a 49-37 win over the Lady Maroons Monday in the 7th District semifinals in Mortons Gap.
Caldwell’s girls will face host Hopkins County Central for the district title Thursday at 6 p.m.
Ke’Darriah Thompson also had a big night for the Lady Tigers, finishing with 12 points and 15 rebounds
Caldwell and Madisonville had split two competitive games during the regular season — one of them going to triple overtime.
But the Lady Tigers (14-11) ran out to a double-digit lead early in round three.
It was 17-5 after one period.
A stickback by Thompson just before the halftime buzzer sent the Lady Tigers to the break with a healthy 28-12 advantage.
Caldwell appeared to be salting away the victory when two Thompson free throws midway through the third quarter extended the margin to 20 at 33-13.
However, Madisonville (10-16) regrouped and put together its best stretch of the night.
A Taylor Nelson layup capped an 8-0 burst that got the Lady Maroons within 33-21.
Madisonville continued to chip away, getting as close as 37-29 following a driving layup by Macy Wright with still 4:39 to play in the contest.
But with momentum on Madisonville’s side, Caldwell switched to a 1-3-1 zone that seemed to slow down the Lady Maroons’ roll.
Clark scored on a drive to the basket with 4:02 to go to extend the margin back to double figures at 39-29.
Med Thomas followed with a 3-pointer for Caldwell.
Then after two missed Madisonville free throws, Clark scored on another drive to the basket and drew a foul. She completed the three-point trip with just 3:10 remaining, making it 45-29 and putting Caldwell back in control of the contest.
Before this month, the Lady Tigers had dropped 19 straight to Madisonville. However, Caldwell won in Princeton 60-43 on Feb. 3, and now owns back-to-back victories over the Lady Maroons.
Madisonville still lead the all-time series 67-18.
Wright led the Lady Maroons with 15 points. Sadie Kirk added eight.
Caldwell is in the district championship game for the first time since 2020. The Lady Tigers are seeking their first crown since 2018.
Both Caldwell and Hopkins Central have qualified for the 2nd Region tournament, which will also be played in Mortons Gap next week.
Madisonville-NH 5 7 13 12 — 37
Caldwell County 17 11 9 12 — 49
Madisonville-North Hopkins (10-16)—Wright 15, Kirk 8, Nelson 6, Gobin 4, Harris 2, Baker 2.
Caldwell County (14-11)—Clark 24, Thompson 12, Thomas 6, McCoy 5, Whitaker 2.
