By RAY BENTON
Leader sports editor
The Cabot Lady Panthers stopped a three-game losing streak and got their first conference road win on Tuesday, beating Jonesboro 54-44 in the Don Riggs Hurricane Gym. Strong defense led to a late Cabot lead, and solid free-throw shooting preserved the win for the Lady Panthers.
“We played pretty good defense,” said Cabot coach Carla Crowder. “We were really aggressive, but we didn’t foul. We blocked out well. It was a lot better effort. The girls really played well.”
Cabot (11-9, 2-4) jumped out to a 15-7 lead in the first quarter, but struggled offensively in the second period. The Lady Hurricane held the Lady Panthers to just four points in the second quarter and pulled to within 19-15 by halftime.
The margin stayed between four and six for the first few minutes of the third period. Cabot finally got the offense going again and pulled out to a 34-25 lead on a free throw by junior guard Danielle McWilliams with less than a minute left in the frame. But Jonesboro came back to score the next five points, two to end the third and a three pointer by Morgan Malugen to start the fourth to make it 34-30.
The Lady Panthers re-grouped and built a 40-33 lead when Anna Sullivan sank two free throws halfway through the fourth quarter. The home team still had one run left in it. Jonesboro’s Martina Day answered Sullivan’s free throws with a bucket underneath. Cabot then turned the ball over.
Malugen missed a three pointer, but Daneeta Webb got an offensive rebound and put it back to make it 40-37 and force a Cabot timeout.
After the break, Sullivan scored the first two of six in a row for Cabot. After her basket, Sullivan got a steal and was fouled. She made both free throws for a seven-point Cabot lead.
Leighton Taylor then rebounded a Jonesboro miss and McWilliams scored at the other end to force a Jonesboro timeout and change of strategy.
The Lady Hurricane (5-12, 0-6) were forced into the foul game, and Rachel Allgood and Taylor combined to hit their last six free throws in a row to secure the win.
Cabot made 20 of 24 free throws in the game. Sullivan led the Lady Panthers with 23 points and was 7 for 7 from the line. The sophomore forward also had eight rebounds.
“She’s just figuring stuff out,” Crowder said of Sullivan. “It’s kind of a new role for her and she’s worked really hard on her shot. She’s worked hard in practice and on her own, and she’s doing well.”
Junior CoCo Calhoon added 12 points for the Lady Panthers and post player Alyssa Hamilton finished with eight points and 10 rebounds.
