BOWLING GREEN, Ky.- The #1 Lady Tigers battled the #3 University of the Cumberlands Patriots on Monday night for the Mid-South Conference Tournament final. After an action-packed battle between the teams with nine lead changes each, the Lady Tigers took the victory, 74-64. This victory brings Coach High Colvin her fifth Mid-South Conference Tournament title. Four of those five title wins also took the MSC Regular Season title.
Cumberlands was first to make it on the scoreboard with a defensive layup that led to their first jumper. Kaitlynn Wilks was quick to even the pace of the game with a layup of her own, tying the score early in the quarter. The Patriots got ahold of the lead with a three-pointer, but Lauren Lee did not allow them to get too much farther ahead, racking up layup after layup. Halfway through the quarter, the game came to a scoring halt, with neither team making it past the opposite's defenses. Cumberlands was first to break the pause with a three-point bucket, but Tyra Flowers swiftly retaliated in the paint. At the end of the first 10 minutes of play, the Lady Tigers trailed the Patriots, 16-15.
Much like the first, Wilks was the first to score for Campbellsville with an avid three-point jump shot. The battle for the lead only got more eager as the second quarter continued to unfold, with both teams stealing back and forth and keeping the score tight at all times. Bailey Pedigo's offensive rebounds kept the Lady Tigers scoring and preserving their lead throughout the second quarter. At the end of the first half, Campbellsville led the game, 29-28.
At the half, the Lady Tigers' offensive rebounds and short-range shots remained their major strengths to hold the victory, collecting 11 offensive rebounds compared to the Patriots' three and 22 points in the paint to their 12.
The tension on the court only increased coming into the second half, with both teams avidly attempting shots at the basket. Cumberlands stole Campbellsville's lead from the charity stripe, but the Lady Tigers did not falter at the sight of push-back. Pedigo scored her first three-point bucket of the contest, shortly answered by another three from the Patriots. Neither team managed to grasp the lead for too long, continuously tying the score basket after basket. Elizabeth Bertram came into the game with sharp steals, preserving Campbellsville's control over the ball. The Lady Tigers only continued to strengthen their offensive attacks, expanding their advantage to their largest lead of the contest with ten points over the Patriots. Going into the last quarter, Campbellsville held the upper hand, 56-46.
Lee and Luebbe came into the last quarter of play, expanding the Lady Tigers' lead basket after basket, too strong for the Cumberlands to decrease their deficit. Bertram's buckets aided Campbellsville in preserving their spot on the winning end of the scoreboard, taking advantage of the Patriots' turnovers to recover possession of the ball. As the closing minutes of the game approached, both teams' plays got significantly more physical, with both teams committing foul after foul. Despite Cumberlands' efforts to retaliate, Campbellsville took the victory, 74-64.
Throughout the contest, the Lady Tigers strongly capitalized off free-throws, going 18-of-20 compared to the Patriots' 7-of-8. Additionally, Campbellsville's offensive rebounds remained one of their biggest strengths, collecting 19 to Cumberlands' 10. Four Lady Tigers reached double digits during tonight's game: Lee with 20 points, Wilks with 16, Pedigo with 13, and Bertram with 11.
