Tyler Barrett floats in for a basket against the Lion defense. He finished with with a team-high 16 points. (Post Photos by Chris Siers)
By CHRIS SIERS
csiers@bedfordcountypost.com
BELL BUCKLE — An icy cold start shooting ultimately was more than Cascade (8-7, 0-1) could overcome in Tuesday night’s 66-50 district-opening loss to Cannon County.
Simply put, the Champions struggled to consistently score in the first quarter and were plagued with unforced turnovers.
In the first quarter alone, Cannon County (13-6, 2-0) pushed its lead out to 9-1 before Kaleb Kelso hit a basket with 2:30 left to mark the Champions’ first field goal of the night.
Cannon County continued to work the ball in transition in the second quarter and at one point, led 16-8, before Cascade hit a pair of back-to-back baskets to give the hosts a bit of momentum.
Still, Cannon County’s Antonio Jones continued the 3-point barrage and led a 17-point Lion second quarter with 11 points, including three made treys.
Cascade countered with a 3-point assault of its own, making four of the team’s eight made triples in the second period.
Jason Cullum scored eight points, including two 3-pointers, while Tyler Barrett dumped in two of his own.
By halftime, Cascade had cut the Lion advantage to 31-24.
But even after the intermission, the Lion offense wouldn’t be denied.
Able to work its way to the line, notably in the third, Cannon County cashed in on 8-of-11 free throw attempts in the quarter and padded its lead on a 22-12 run in the quarter.
In total, just five Champions penciled their name in the scoring column, with Barrett posting a team-high 16 points.
Kaleb Kelso also hit double figures with 12 points.
Jason Cullum charges the lane and goes up strong for two. He posted 10 points on Tuesday night. (Post Photo by Chris Siers)
Jones led the Lions with 21 points, while Lucas Phillips chipped in 14.
Cascade hopes to pick up its first district win of the season on Friday night at Grundy County, weather pending.
Cannon Co. 14 17 22 13 — 66
Cascade 4 20 12 14 — 50
Cannon Co.: Antonio Jones 21, Lucas Phillips 14, Miles Alexander 13, Eli Pelham 11, Eli Garrett 5, Anderson Lara 2.
Cascade: Tyler Barrett 16, Kaleb Kelso 12, Jason Cullum 10, Noah Watson 7, Henry Stone 5.
3-Point goals: Cascade (8): Barrett 4, Cullum 3, Watson; Cannon Co. (7): Jones 5, Alexander, Pelham.
Halftime score: Cannon Co. 31, Cascade 24.
