By Kevin Eckleberry

Sports Editor

MANCHESTER – The game was there for the taking.

With just over two minutes remaining in Friday’s Region 5-AA semifinal game against Jordan, the Callaway Lady Cavaliers were within three points, and momentum was on their side.

But in the end, a Jordan team that had been the class of the region all season was too strong.

The Lady Red Jackets (20-5) went on an 8-0 run to put the wraps on the game and earn a spot in today’s region-championship game.

Callaway (16-11) and Macon County will play at 3 p.m. for third place.

“We were in the ballgame,” Callaway head coach Albert Gilliam said. “We gave ourselves a chance and they never quit.”

In the end, Gilliam said, it was “their quickness and our fatigue got the best of us.”

Senior guard Tersheor Tigner, who only sat out about a minute in the fourth quarter after leaving the game with a severe leg cramp, led the Lady Cavs with 14 points.

Jaquincia “Binky” Cameron and Keandrea Smith had big games in the paint with 13 and 12 points, respectively, and Erin Anderson scored 11 points.

The first half was tight, with neither team leading by more than three points, and Jordan had a 30-28 lead at the half.

The Lady Jackets began to pull away in the third period, and they were up by 10 late in the quarter before Callaway rallied.

Tigner’s 3-pointer from just beyond mid-court at the buzzer cut Jordan’s lead to 49-43.

Callaway got within a point early in the quarter on a Smith bucket, and it remained a tight game until Jordan pulled away late