BELL BUCKLE, TN – The Cascade Champions held their own against the visiting Eagleville Eagles, but in the end the Class 1A State Tournament favorites pulled away to win, 68-56, on Tuesday night at The Stable. 

Jackson Nichols led the way with 16 points, including 13 in the first half, as four Eagles finished the night in double-figures. Grey Barker, Owen McClaren, and James Bega finished the night with 15 points, 14 points, and 13 points, respectively, for Eagleville. All 14 of McClaren’s points came in the second half. 

For Cascade, Kaleb Kelso finished with a game-high 19 points, including 14 points in the second half. Henry Stone and Jason Cullum chipped in with 11 points apiece, but it wasn’t enough to offset the shooting from Eagleville.

Jason Cullum (3) lays in two of his 11 points in Tuesday's loss.

Cascade actually held a two-point lead, 14-12, at the end of the opening period. Nichols accounted for 10 of his team’s 12 points as he connected on a pair of deep triples. 

However, in the second quarter, Eagleville began to heat up offensively, outscoring Cascade, 18-8, in the period to take a 30-22 lead into the halftime locker room. 

Eagleville continued their offensive onslaught in the third quarter, outscoring the Champions, 22-17, to take a 52-39 lead into the final frame.

Cascade threatened to cut into the lead, but the experienced Eagles, led by Head Coach Davy McClaren, were able to fend off any run from the hosts. Cascade actually ended up outscoring Eagleville, 17-16, in the fourth quarter, but in the end the Champs just couldn’t string together enough consecutive stops to turn them into points. 

Eagleville improves to 5-2 on the season.

Cascade falls to 5-4 overall, and they are scheduled to play on Friday at home against the Huntland Hornets, LIVE on The Zinger 100.9 starting at 5:45 p.m.