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The Callaway girls basketball team is heading to the region championship. The Cavaliers traveled to Morgan County with upset on their minds on Thursday and beat the no. 2 seed Westside in a 35-33 thriller.

The win did not just see them earn a spot in the region championship, it also saw the team clinch a home playoff game in the first round of the state playoffs.

The game was back-and-forth for all four quarters and it started in the first as Callaway held onto an 8-7 advantage heading to the second.

The Cavaliers got a bit more breathing room heading to halftime as they took a 23-17 lead.

Callaway quickly saw that lead evaporate in the third quarter as the offense hit a wall. The Cavaliers could muster just a single point in the third quarter and subsequently the team trailed 26-24 heading to the fourth and final quarter.

Senior Raniya Mahone rose to the occasion in the fourth quarter, scoring six of the team’s 11 points in the period to lead the team to victory. She was one point shy of a double-double, finishing the game with 17 rebounds and nine points.

Aniyah McFarland kept the offense rolling in the first half. The senior scored all of her team-high 12 points in the first two quarters. McFarland did it all for Callaway, finishing with seven rebounds and eight assists.

What made Thursday’s performance all the more remarkable is the fact that the Cavaliers were down one of their best players in second team All-Region forward Aubrey Chelcy, who missed the game due to illness.

Callaway will take a record of 14-7 into the region championship game on Saturday. The Cavaliers will be back at Morgan County to take on the hosts at 430 p.m.