CABOT — Apparently a week off can make all the difference.
One week after from giving up 90 points at Conway, the Cabot Lady Panthers beat the Paragould Lady Rams 45-37 at Panther Arena.
“The girls really come out more focused and ready to play when we’re at home,” Cabot Coach Carla Crowder said. “We played them last year, and the girls knew they’d have everybody back from a team that played in the finals, so they knew it would be a challenge.”
Cabot looked like it might be in trouble when senior point guard Jaylin Bridges picked up her fourth foul with 1:19 remaining in the third quarter, but Ally Van Enk took up a lot of the slack with 14 points and 10 rebounds.
Cabot led 27-13 at halftime and led by at least 10 points into the fourth quarter. Paragould made a run early in the period with Bridges on the bench and fought its way back to with four points after Bridges came back into the game midway through the fourth.
Paragould’s Carson Gill scored eight of her team-high 14 points in the period.
The Lady Panthers’ defense came alive down the stretch, denying Paragould any baskets over the final minute while sealing the victory with free throws on the other end.
“I was proud we were able to withstand their run in the fourth,” Crowder said. “That’s a really good team, and they’ll probably be back in the finals this year.”
Sports, Pages 22 on 11/28/2012