SPRINGFIELD, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – The Clarksville Wildcats faced Dickson County in the Region 7-4A semifinal on Monday. The Cougars gave the Wildcats all they could handle, but powered by 22 points from Malon Smith and clutch plays down the stretch, the Wildcats extended their season with a 47-45 win.
The two teams came to play on the defensive end from the opening tip, knowing that their seasons were on the line. Dickson, while being the underdog, wasn’t going to go quietly, specifically Cougar guard Keely Webb, who led all scorers with 30 points. The Wildcats held a narrow 18-17 lead at halftime.
“Both teams played extremely hard,” said Clarksville head coach Brian Rush. “Our girls were resilient, they played great defense, and Malon took over scoring in the second half. Even when she fouled out, our team stepped up. That’s the hallmark of this group, playing defense, and stepping up when they need you.”
The Wildcats were eventually able to pull ahead by seven in the fourth quarter, the biggest lead by either team in the contest, before Smith fouled out with two minutes left. The Cougars fought, but Clarksville sunk their free throws to edge out a two-point win, and extend their season to the Region 7-4A championship on Wednesday.
For Rush, the mentality now is to take this thing one game at a time, as the Wildcats are now two wins away from the state tournament.
“We’ve hung our hat on our defense, and we held them down low enough that we found a way to score,” said Rush. “At this time of year you have to win to keep your situation good and keep advancing. We’ll prepare for Wednesday, and see what we can do.”
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