Lady Dawgs get hero's welcome

Cumberland's NAIA national runner-up Lady Bulldogs returned to a heroine's welcome on campus Wednesday as several hundred supporters greeted the team on its arrival from Jackson.
"It was tremendous to see the suport of the people," Cumberland coach Clint Mason said. "Lebanon police gave us an escort from Mt. Juliet all the way to the campus. We probably had about 300 people there.
"It was good to see the university and community come out and show their support for our team."
Returning with her teammates was junior forward Kari Maddox, who was wheeled off the Oman Arena floor on a stretcher after falling hard to the floor early in the second half of the Lady Bulldogs' 63-50 loss to Lambuth in the NAIA finals. Mason said a CATSCAN on her lower back was negative and that she was undergoing an MRI.
"Making sure everything's fine, double-checking to make sure everything's okay," Mason said of the junior from Hendersonville. "She's having a lot of pain in her lower back area."
Sports Editor Andy Reed can be reached at 444-3952 ext. 17 or by e-mail at andy.reed@lebanondemocrat.com.