MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Mo. — The Clopton Lady Hawks battled the Montgomery County Lady Wildcats for third place in the Montgomery County Invitational, falling 63-62 in overtime.

A dominant Lady Wildcat team pounced in the first quarter, out scoring the Lady Hawks 16-10. Defensive pressure from Montgomery made it difficult for Clopton to sink shots early in the game. The back and forth action left athletes on both sides red in the face with three quarters of basketball left to play.

Clopton’s strong second quarter set the tone for the rest of match up as the Lady Hawks warmed up offensively. Senior Caragan Lockard, lead scorer for the Hawks, executed some key offensive and defensive plays in the first half. Lockard posted 10 of 16 points scored by the Hawks in the second quarter, putting her team within three points of the lead at half-time.

The ladies in red and black came out strong for the second half of the game, posting 16 points in the third quarter. Still trailing by two points, the Lady Hawks were on a roll heading into the fourth quarter.

Montgomery County’s fourth quarter offense was silenced for a majority of the remaining eight minutes of play. Despite the quiet offense, the Wildcats scored when it mattered. Trailing by two points, Montgomery found a way to tie the game at fifty-five points apiece with seconds left in the game.

In the four minutes of overtime, scoring was back and forth, but it came down to a shot once again in the final seconds of the game. Montgomery County squeezed out the win 63-62, claiming the third-place trophy.

Lockard had a tremendous day on the court scoring 31 points for the Lady Hawks, leading both teams in scoring. Lockard also was named to the Montgomery County Invitational All-Tournament team for her performances.

In the boy’s match-up. The Clopton Hawks defeated Hermann 52-51 in a nail-biting consolation championship at the Montgomery County Invitational. The consolation side of the bracket was altered to a round robin as Fulton dropped out of the tournament due to COVID-19.

The Hawks defeated Bowling Green on Friday night 53-34, sending the team to the consolation championship twelve hours later. Clopton got off to a slow start in Saturday’s game against Hermann, scoring only eight points in the first quarter. Heading to the locker room at half-time Clopton trailed Hermann 30-22.

Key defensive stops in the second half helped swing momentum in the Hawks direction, outscoring Hermann 17-14 in the third quarter. Zakk Eivins led the team with six points in the third.

Clopton’s defensed silenced Hermann in the fourth quarter allowing the team to score only seven points.  A defensive possession late in the game resulted in the Hawks not allowing a shot, forcing Hermann’s coaching staff to call a timeout. The defensive grit from Clopton allowed them to come out on top, winning the nail biter 52-51.

Clopton boys and girls both travel to Canton on Tuesday with the girls tipping off at 6 p.m.