By Nick Brockman, Messenger Sports Reporter nbrockman@the-messenger.com
PRINCETON -- Facing a win or go home situation, the Dawson Springs girls basketball team played to the gravity of the situation during the first half of action against Caldwell County in the 7th District Tournament.
The Lady Panthers (1-19) trailed by just two points midway through the second quarter against the district's top squad, but Dawson's upset bid continued to fade from that point as Caldwell (18-7) turned up the intensity to win 73-46.
"We played pretty much about the best offensively that we could have played in the first half," coach Jeff Miller said. "The second half, our inexperience showed up."
Dawson, which does not boast a single senior, overcame the first-half jitters of a postseason contest with a solid team effort, but that same success did not translate after the break.
Caldwell led the Lady Panthers by nine at halftime. After Dawson's Shelby Merrell made the first bucket of the third quarter, the Lady Tigers opened things up with a 6-0 run to go ahead 42-29.
Dawson forward Brooke Randolph sank an open three-point shot to end the run with 5:34 left in the third, but the visiting team made just one more basket the rest of the quarter.
Miller said Caldwell forced Dawson's hand to move away from the original game plan.
The Lady Panthers (1-19) trailed by just two points midway through the second quarter against the district's top squad, but Dawson's upset bid continued to fade from that point as Caldwell (18-7) turned up the intensity to win 73-46.
"We played pretty much about the best offensively that we could have played in the first half," coach Jeff Miller said. "The second half, our inexperience showed up."
Dawson, which does not boast a single senior, overcame the first-half jitters of a postseason contest with a solid team effort, but that same success did not translate after the break.
Caldwell led the Lady Panthers by nine at halftime. After Dawson's Shelby Merrell made the first bucket of the third quarter, the Lady Tigers opened things up with a 6-0 run to go ahead 42-29.
Dawson forward Brooke Randolph sank an open three-point shot to end the run with 5:34 left in the third, but the visiting team made just one more basket the rest of the quarter.
Miller said Caldwell forced Dawson's hand to move away from the original game plan.
"They're a solid team," Miller said of Caldwell's talent. "They put some pressure on our young ones and we kind of got away from what we were running."
By the end of three quarters of play, the Lady Tigers held a 54-34 advantage. Emilee Workman did her best to rally her squad back into the game by scoring eight of her total 10 points in the final quarter, but the rest of her team added just four in the final eight minutes.
In the first half, Caldwell seemed to be surprised by underdog Dawson's effort, as Randolph paced the effort offensively by scoring 11 points.
Miller said he was also pleased with the way Workman handled the point early on.
The Lady Panthers fell behind 21-13 early in the second quarter, but manufactured a 6-0 run in 44 seconds to make it a 21-19 ballgame. Dawson forced a stop on defense and held possession for a chance to tie or take the lead, but could not convert on the opportunity. Caldwell did not let Dawson come any closer the rest of the game.
Lady Tiger point guard Jayme Jackson led the Caldwell offense with 29 points. Three other Lady Tigers reached double digits, including Emily Meeks with 15.
Jackson created offensive damage by using her quickness to drive the lane as well as stroke the nylon from beyond the three-point arc.
"(Jackson) was just faster," Miller said. "They had more scoring weapons than we did. The Meeks girl, she did a good job driving the basket."
In the end though, Miller, a first-year coach, said he was pleased with his team's effort to hang with one of the 2nd Region's top squads.
"I'm just really proud of my girls," he said. "They played as hard as they could."
DSHS (1-19) 11 16 7 12 - 46
CCHS (18-7) 15 21 18 19 - 73
DSHS: Brooke Randolph 14, Emilee Workman 10, Shelby Merrell 8, Sarah Bassett 4, Laura Hatton 4, Amber Genseal 2, Rihana McKnight 2, Jalyn Walls 2
CCHS: Jayme Jackson 29, Emily Meeks 15, Casey Stone 11, Savannah Pepper 10, Jaquelyn Sindelar 4, McKenzie Ames 2, Laykin Peek 2
By the end of three quarters of play, the Lady Tigers held a 54-34 advantage. Emilee Workman did her best to rally her squad back into the game by scoring eight of her total 10 points in the final quarter, but the rest of her team added just four in the final eight minutes.
In the first half, Caldwell seemed to be surprised by underdog Dawson's effort, as Randolph paced the effort offensively by scoring 11 points.
Miller said he was also pleased with the way Workman handled the point early on.
The Lady Panthers fell behind 21-13 early in the second quarter, but manufactured a 6-0 run in 44 seconds to make it a 21-19 ballgame. Dawson forced a stop on defense and held possession for a chance to tie or take the lead, but could not convert on the opportunity. Caldwell did not let Dawson come any closer the rest of the game.
Lady Tiger point guard Jayme Jackson led the Caldwell offense with 29 points. Three other Lady Tigers reached double digits, including Emily Meeks with 15.
Jackson created offensive damage by using her quickness to drive the lane as well as stroke the nylon from beyond the three-point arc.
"(Jackson) was just faster," Miller said. "They had more scoring weapons than we did. The Meeks girl, she did a good job driving the basket."
In the end though, Miller, a first-year coach, said he was pleased with his team's effort to hang with one of the 2nd Region's top squads.
"I'm just really proud of my girls," he said. "They played as hard as they could."
DSHS (1-19) 11 16 7 12 - 46
CCHS (18-7) 15 21 18 19 - 73
DSHS: Brooke Randolph 14, Emilee Workman 10, Shelby Merrell 8, Sarah Bassett 4, Laura Hatton 4, Amber Genseal 2, Rihana McKnight 2, Jalyn Walls 2
CCHS: Jayme Jackson 29, Emily Meeks 15, Casey Stone 11, Savannah Pepper 10, Jaquelyn Sindelar 4, McKenzie Ames 2, Laykin Peek 2
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