EAGLEVILLE - A dry spell in the second quarter ultimately proved more than the Cascade Lady Champs (2-13, 2-6) could overcome in a District 8-A contest at Eagleville on Tuesday night.

The Lady Eagles (8-11, 6-2) romped 13-3 through the second quarter and held off a pesky Lady Champ squad that wouldn't quit in the second half for the 57-41 win over Cascade.

"We came out with a slow start and the fire we usually have on defense wasn't there. After halftime, we showed up, but it was too late at that point. We had 15 points in the third and fourth quarter, but only had three in the second and that's what killed us," Lady Champ head coach Kendall Hampton said.

A combination of cold perimeter shooting and a wonky Lady Eagle defensive scheme led to a 16-point halftime deficit for the Lady Champs.

"They ran a really spread out zone and I think it took us a minute to figure out what we needed to do to get her looks offensively to get her looks. Early on, Maddie (Crosslin) hit two threes, but then we hit kind of a dry spell. At that point, we were a little lost on what to do," Hampton said.

Cascade's game plan all season long has been playing through the paint, whether it be Jordan Green, Caroline Stone, or any of the Lady Champs in the post, which in turn, opens up what's been a generally effective perimeter attack.

On Tuesday, Cascade struggled to establish the inside game and by the 5:09 mark of the second quarter, had only managed one basket in the paint.

Cascade managed just one field goal in the first half, following the 2:52 mark of the first quarter.

"A lot of our offense is driven by our post, whether it's them scoring or the defense collapsing on us which allows us to get the ball back outside. Jordan and Caroline both play much larger than what they are. You see that most games," Hampton said.

Cascade managed just four field goals in the first half, two of which came from the arc courtesy of Crosslin.

"Tonight, I think because we weren't shooting the ball in the first half, it didn't allow the defense to work off our post players, so we weren't able to work the ball inside, either," Hampton added.

But after the halftime intermission, Cascade was able to adjust the game plan and finally got the offensive wheels moving and was able to match Eagleville's 15 points.

"After the half, we knew what adjustments to make and I think you definitely saw better offense from us then," Hampton said.

Cascade continued to match Eagleville, nearly point-for-point, into the fourth quarter and out-scored the home team 15-14 in the fourth frame.

But even with the resurgence in the second half, the sluggish second quarter proved more than Cascade could overcome.

The challenge, Hampton says, is finding a post attack that forces defenses to choose between defending the paint, or the perimeter attack.

"For us to be successful every night, we have to be able to do both and find that balance where it makes the defense have to make decisions to lessen the pressure on both our shooters and our post players. If we're not finding that balance, then what happens is what happened tonight," she aid.

Crosslin was the lone Lady Champ to reach double figures and scored 15 points.

Eagleville was led by a quartet of players who reached double figures, highlighted by Anna Grace Clement's 16 points.

Cascade returns home on Friday and will play in front of an expanded home crowd as Executive Order No. 74 was allowed to expire.

Tip-off on Friday against Moore County is set for 6 p.m.

Cascade 8 3 15 15 - 41

Eagleville 14 13 15 14 - 57

Cascade: Maddie Crosslin 15, Caroline Stone 9, Jordan Green 6, Kylie Calvert 5, Annabelle Calvert 3, Makenna Lamb 3.

Eagleville: Anna Grace Clement 16, Izzy Sawyer 11, Haylee Ferguson 10, Caden Chapman 10, Eliza McClaran 8, Alex Klarer 2.

3-Point goals: Cascade (6): Crosslin 5, A. Calvert; Eagleville (3): Ferguson 2, Sawyer.

Halftime score: Eagleville 27, Cascade 11.