The final regular season home game for the eighth-grade Clear Creek Middle School Lady Cats was another in a long list of hard-fought battles this year.

However, the Cats scrapped back from a third-quarter deficit to force an overtime and best the Dawson County Lady Tigers, 29-27, last night at CCMS. The victory improved the eighth-grade squad to an overall 5-6 record for the season.

Meanwhile, the seventh-grade continued its dominant campaign with a 39-16 defeat of the Lady Tigers, improving to 9-2 in the process.

Eighth-grade

Eighth-grade Lady Cat Dinah Bragg pivots before attempting a post shot against Dawson last night. Along with Bailey Teague and Emma Callihan, she scored a team-leading five points against the Lady Tigers. (Photo by: Kevin Hensley)

The eighth-grade contest started out slowly for both Clear Creek and Dawson. Ball control issues plagued both the Lady Cats and the Lady Tigers and led to a 7-6 CCMS lead at the end of the opening period.

Dawson failed to net any points in the second quarter, with Clear Creek only scoring as less than two minutes remaining before halftime. The end result was a 13-6 Lady Cats lead at the break.

The Lady Tigers emerged from the locker room and delivered a third-quarter barrage that helped them reclaim the lead. Thanks in part to a strong scoring performance from Marlie Townley, Dawson staked an 18-15 claim as the fourth quarter got underway.

Timeouts and fouls became the dominant strategy of the fourth quarter, as the Lady Tigers fought to claim the lead and the Lady Cats clawed away at the deficit. It was seventh-grader Emma Callihan that came in off the bench and with the final buzzer looming, broke away for a lay-up as the clock expired and sent the game into overtime, tied 25-25.

Foul shots from Callihan and Bailey Teague, plus another basket from Callihan, went on to help Clear Creek pull out the 29-27 overtime victory over Dawson.

“It was a battle of who was going to make free throws, or easy lay-ups,” CCMS coach Ashley Bryant pointed out after the win. “I was happy with the effort that was put out. It was unbelievable, the way things turned out. This was a great way for the eighth-graders to go out, at their final home game. They have improved so much.”

Seventh-grade

Clear Creek seventh-grader Emma Callihan examines her options last night against Dawson. The seventh-grade Lady Cats improved to 9-2 by defeating the Lady Tigers 39-16. (Photo by: Kevin Hensley)

The seventh-grade game preceded the eighth-grade recognition night and the eighth-grade game itself and started out slowly. Clear Creek turned up its offense late in the first quarter and later boasted a 10-4 lead, as the second quarter got underway. Dawson hung tough until halftime, but still trailed the Lady Cats 23-12 at the break.

The Lady Tigers only put up four points in the second half of the affair, giving CCMS the opportunity to build a 31-14 after three quarters and go on to take the 39-16 victory.

“We struggled a little bit in the beginning, but I think our press kicked us into gear,” Bryant said. “We ended up getting a few easy steals and getting the momentum going. That helped a lot. We had some good shots when we needed them. ED (Emma Deyton) crashed the boards like no other. I can’t say enough about that kid. Just going on and on and giving us those second-chance opportunities. It was a great way to get started back after the break.”

The CCMS Lady Cats finish the regular season Thursday, on the road at Fannin. Tip-off is scheduled for 4 p.m.

STATS (eighth-grade Lady Cats):

Bailey Teague: Five points, five rebounds, two steals, 5/12 on free throws.

Dinah Bragg: Five points, five rebounds, 1/2 on free throws.

Emma Callihan: Five points, one rebound, one steal, 1/2 on free throws.

Emily Dale: Four points, two rebounds, one steal.

Jalynn Ledford: Four points, 11 rebounds, one steal.

Emma Deyton: Four points, six rebounds, 1/2 on free throws.

Josie Reece: Two points.

STATS (seventh-grade Lady Cats):

Hope Colwell: 10 points, one steal.

Bethany Burnette: 10 points, one rebound, one steal.

Elly Callihan: Six points, 12 rebounds, one steal.

Emma Callihan: Five points, six rebounds, two steals, 1/2 on free throws.

Emma Deyton: Three points, 10 rebounds, three rebounds, 1/2 on free throws.

Reagan Boling: Two points, two rebounds, one steal.

Kadie Weaver: Two points.

Natalie Thomas: One point.

Lauren Smith: One steal.

Lark Reece: One steal.