Take one team trending upward with recent success and a tall billing to live up to and another program in the midst of rebuilding a program and a winning culture and you get a thrilling intra-county matchup between the Shelbyville Central Golden Eagles and the Cascade Champions.
Fans were delighted to a hard-fought, non-district contest on Friday night that had the feelings of two heated rivals, which saw Cascade escape with a 75-63 win over the Eagles. 
“I saw a lot of passionate fans. I think part of that is, we’ve had a little bit of success and part of that Shelbyville is up and coming. Their coaches are doing a good job and the culture is heading in the right direction. I think people wanted to see what it looked like with those two going against each other,” Champion coach Chris Lawson said.
Eagle coach Kody Howard echoed Lawson’s sentiments about the electric environment fans were treated to at Rick Insell Gymnasium on Friday evening. 
“This is what high school sports is all about. I hate that we didn’t get the win, but our kids experiencing this environment before postseason play is only going to be beneficial. Our goal is to play in a district championship and this environment had that district championship feel,” Howard said. 
The game tilted toward a frantic pace from the opening tip-off and the physical tone was quickly established.
In the opening period, Shelbyville had to rely on its bench fairly early on as the Eagles were whistled eight times for fouls, as Cascade was able to establish its presence in the half court. 
Both squads piled up 15 points in the opening frame, but couldn’t have been more different in how the offense was executed.
Cascade went to senior Justis Carter in the paint where he scored 17 of his game-high 26 points in the first half.
Shelbyville spread its offense around and of the 32 first-half points, six different Eagles scored in the opening half.
“He (Carter) is a great player. I told him after the game we planned for him all week. Cascade, kudos to their coach, he’s a good one. They did some stuff we didn’t have an answer for,” Howard said. 
Even with the early foul troubles for the Eagles, Shelbyville never trailed by double figures in the second quarter.
After a 7-0 Champion run late in the second quarter, Shelbyville closed with back-to-back baskets by Jeremiah Jones and Jason Ragland to pull the Eagles within four points at the half.
The game kept within a seven-point margin through most of the third quarter until the Eagles were assessed two technical fouls following a personal foul called at the 1:28 mark.
Those fouls sent Lucas Clanton to the line for six free throws, where he cashed in on 5-of-6 attempts.
On the ensuing possession, it was Cascade’s Jackson Davis who went to the rim on a layup, made the basket and drew the foul.
Following his made free throw, Cascade had completely seized the momentum on an eight-point swing, giving the Champs a 58-43 lead with 1:22 to go in the third.
Even with the momentum shift in the third, the Eagles simply wouldn’t go away.
Trailing by 15 at multiple points in the fourth, the Eagles continued to battle even into the final minute. Following a pair of free throws by Davis that gave Cascade a 71-56 lead with 1:28 to go in regulation, the Eagles rattled off seven-straight points with a pair of scores by Zay Reese and a 3-pointer by Zay Alexander.
Howard says that no-quit attitude will be invaluable for the Eagles later this season.
“That’s all them. I don’t think you can teach resolve. I think you’re born with it. We try in practice every day to put our guys in tough positions and see how they respond, so in a game like this, they can respond the right way. I think for the most part, we did. We were down 10 with 10 seconds left and I told them to not foul and get a steal and my guys were out there battling to the final buzzer sounded. I can’t be more proud of them,” Howard said. 
But even with the late surge by the Eagles, Cascade was able to execute at the line and connected on 4-of-6 free throw attempts in the final 50 seconds to secure the 12-point win.
Carter’s 26 points led all scorers, while Clanton added 19. 
Davis and Chance Brown both addd 10 as well.
While the Champions only connected on one 3-pointer in the game, Lawson says his team’s shot selection is improving and the efficiency scoring is working.
“We’ve kind of talked about if we should shoot more or throw it around a little bit. We’re sticking with what’s working right now and trying to gel our other guys around what’s working. We didn’t shoot a ton of threes, but we’re shooting the ball better. If we continue on that path, we’re going to be pretty tough,” he said.
Cascade proved incredibly efficient at the free throw line, making good on 26-of-39 attempts, with Clanton connecting on 12-of-14 tries.
For the Eagles, it was Reese’s 20 points that led three players in double figures.
Ragland chipped in 12, while Jones added 10.
Shelbyville managed seven treys in the game, with Reese and Joe Harris each connecting on a pair of 3-pointers.
The Eagles were also efficient at the free throw line, connecting on 11-of-15 tries at the charity stripe. 
The win for the Champs capped a busy, three-game week in which Cascade posted a 3-0 record against Moore County, Marshall County and Shelbyville Central. 
“We’re growing every single day. We’re finding out a little bit more about ourselves every single day—who can do what, who can fill the voids of last year and who we can count on in certain times in certain situations. We’re getting better. That’s all I can ask out of these guys. They work hard every day, they listen and buy in to what we’re trying to do,” Lawson said. 
Shelbyville will be back on its home court, hosting Forrest on Tuesday evening, while Cascade will host Fayetteville City.


Cascade 15  21  24  15 — 75 
Shelbyville 15  17  13  18 — 63 

Cascade: Justis Carter 26, Lucas Clanton 19, Jackson Davis 10, Chance Brown 10, Jayden Gulick 4, Isaac McElroy 4, Saebyn Burris 2. 
Shelbyville: Zay Reese 20, Jason Ragland 12, Jeremiah Jones 10, Joe Harris 8, Terrance Johnson 6, Kyler Trice 4, Zay Alexander 3.
3-Point goals: Shelbyville (6): Reese 2, Harris 2, Alexander, Ragland; Cascade (1): Clanton. 
Halftime score: Cascade 36, Shelbyville 32.