The Tigers surprised 7th District favorite Madisonville-North Hopkins for much of the first half Friday night.
The game was tied eight times and featured five lead changes before being knotted 22-22 midway through the second quarter.
But Caldwell County (4-17) simply couldn’t keep up the pace against the taller and quicker Maroons (11-11), who eventually pulled away for a 77-51 victory.
Tron Gray gave Caldwell its last lead at 22-20 with a pair of free throws at the 4:08 mark of the second period.
A 13-2 run put Madisonville in front, and the Maroons got to halftime with a 39-27 advantage.
However, Caldwell was still as close as 33-27 following a free throw by Gray with 1:15 left in the first half.
But Madisonville scored the final six points of the second quarter, then opened the third period with six straight.
That put the Maroons in command at 45-27, as the margin went from six points to 18 in just over 2 minutes of actual game time.
An 11-0 run later in the third quarter helped Madisonville balloon its lead to 59-31.
It was 62-36 through three quarters as the Maroons coasted to the 26-point triumph.
Gray, who sat out the last two games for Caldwell, led all scorers with 21 points in the contest. Dwight Wisdom added 10 points.
Madisonville had 12 different players score in the contest, led by Dylan Basham’s 17 points. Cameron Tandy and J.C. Wade had 10 points apiece.
It was the Maroons’ second win over the Tigers this season. Madisonville picked up a 75-61 decision at the CAB gym on Dec. 4.
Madisonville has won five straight against Caldwell to extend its lead in the all-time series to 60-7.
Caldwell, which saw a 15-point lead slip away in a 60-54 loss at Dawson Springs on Thursday, bounced back with some strong play early against Madisonville.
The Tigers led 12-8 late in the first quarter. However, a 3-pointer in the closing seconds of the period by Basham helped the Maroons get to the second quarter with a 13-12 advantage.
Caldwell came back to take a 15-13 lead on a driving layup by Brad Dixon.
A 3-pointer by Tez Sivils put the Tigers up 18-15. Sivils later scored on a short shot in the lane to make it 20-17.
Madisonville tied things at 20-20 on a 3 by Trey Carr before Gray gave the Tigers their final lead at 22-20.
The loss was the seventh straight for the Tigers, who were playing their fourth game in five days.
Caldwell has just two games scheduled for next week. The Tigers will host Hopkins Central for a district date on Tuesday before entertaining Trigg County in a boys and girls varsity “throwback” doubleheader Friday at the CAB gym.
The Tigers will then play four games the final week of the regular season.
The district tourney opens Feb. 22 at Hopkins Central.
