For the better part of three quarters, the Cascade Lady Champions and Shelbyville Central Golden’ Eaglettes battled about as evenly as possible during Friday night’s Bedford County clash.
In the end, the Eaglettes had a little more gas in the tank and were able to post a 23-7 run in the fourth quarter to pull away from Cascade for the 54-35 win over the Lady Champions.
The game featured two teams utilizing their respective matchups until the levee’s finally broke loos for the Eaglettes in the fourth quarter.
While head coach Kyle Turnham was absent due to an illness, assistant coach Bri Potts said it was the Eaglettes’ ability to utilize its defense and create points in transition that allowed Shelbyville to pull away.
“We weren’t knocking down shots like we’re used to and it got in our heads a little bit. We’ve got to play defense more than anything. Once we were able to play our defense, they couldn’t handle our pressure,” she said.
For the bulk of the first three quarters, however, Cascade fought tooth and nail and gave the Eaglettes everything they could handle with a strong presence off the glass and a disruptive effort on the defensive side of the court.
“I knew there was going to be a mismatch both ways and the team that managed that the best was going to be the winner. We struggled getting it inside. There were times we did it well and times we couldn’t get it inside. They were really fast and liked to drive a lot. They definitely used that to their advantage and had a lot of transition layups that we shouldn’t have given them,” Lady Champion coach Kendall Hampton said.
The game was far from an offensive masterpiece in the first half, with both teams struggling out of the gates.
The Eaglettes managed just two field goals in the opening frame, including a 3-pointer by Paige Blackburn and a layup by Lanaya Young.
While the first quarter was a struggle for both squads on the offensive end of the floor, Cascade rallied and tied the game at 10 apiece with just over six minutes left in the half on a Caroline Stone basket.
From that point, the Eaglettes were able to connect on a couple of baskets and built a 16-12 lead by the half.
After struggling in the first half, both teams were able to get the offense going and Cascade rallied for 16 third-quarter points.
A strong effort off the glass allowed Cascade to work its offense.
Lani Jones connected on a pair of 3-pointers in the quarter to help Cascade battle to within three points by the end of the quarter.
But after a close third, it was the Eaglettes who eventually were able to effectively utilize its defense and create points in transition with a decisive fourth quarter.
Cascade managed just two points over the final five minutes of the game, while the Eaglettes pulled away with 12 to secure the victory.
“We’re best at getting up and down the floor, pressuring the ball. The more we get layups, the better off we are,” Potts said.
Young led three Eaglettes in double figures with 15 points, with Blackburn adding 14 and Sammie Brown chipping in 11.
For The Lady Champs, it was the second game in as many days, which Hampton says affected the game in the fourth quarter.
“It was a hard game yesterday. It was real physical and a lot of up and down. I think the back-to-back game did have an affect. If you look at some of hte games we’ve played, in the fourth quarter, we get a lot that at the same time in the same way—team’s scoring the most in the fourth quarter. We’ve got to find a way to continue to have grit, enthusiasm and hustle until the end of the game,” she said.
Stone’s nine points led the Lady Champs, while Jones and Sophie Ray each added eight.
The non-district tilt had the feeling of a county rivalry game between two teams with plenty of history—only the two schools haven’t met with any degree of frequency over the years.
“Tonight, it’s really full and it’s great to see that, whether it’s our side or their side. Any time you see a full gym, it’s an exciting environment to play in.,” Hampton said.
“This is a great environment. Coach Turnham isn’t here to lead them, so there’s a lot of adversity going on. We take this game just like any other. We move forward, we take our mistakes and we get better at them,” Potts said.
Cascade will return to its home court on Tuesday night to host Fayetteville City, while Shelbyville will host Forrest on Tuesday evening.
Both games are slated for a 6 p.m. tip-off.

Cascade 5   7   16    7 — 35
Shelbyville 8   8   15  23 — 54

Cascade: Caroline Stone 9, Lani Jones 8, Sophie Ray 8, Jordan Green 5, Maribel de la Rosa 2, Hailey Giel.
Shelbyville: Lanaya Young 15, Paige Blackburn 14, Sammie Brown 11, Lilly Brown 5, Taylar Wessner 5, Jaz Western 2, Zoe Reed 2.
3-Point goals: Shelbyville (5): Blackburn 2, Wessner, Young, Brown; Cascade (2): Jones 2.
Halftime score: Shelbyville 16, Cascade 12.