A dominant fourth quarter allowed the Denmark-Olar Lady Vikings to cage the Lady Tigers of Allendale-Fairfax High, 55-43 on Jan. 15 in the Tigers' Den.
The game looked to be headed for a nail-biter with the Lady Vikings clinging to a slim 31-28 lead entering the fourth quarter.
However, early in the fourth quarter, the Lady Vikings quickly erased any thoughts the Lady Tigers had of an upset.
Ta'Asia Wright and Je'Nayah Moore of Denmark-Olar got the troops going.
The Lady Vikings outscored the Lady Tigers 14-3 during a two minute stretch to increase their lead to 45-31 with 4:47 left to play.
Wright took over for the Lady Vikings down the stretch, scoring 10 of her game high 26 points in the final quarter. Wright totals included nine rebounds, six steals, five assists and two blocks.
Moore also made her presence known with 13 points, including eight points in the fourth quarter.
Wright said the team had to step up their play after a slow start.
"We started off playing their style of basketball and that's not how we play," Wright said. "We came out with a lot more energy in the second half and it made a big difference."
For the Lady Vikings, defensive pressure was also a key as they forced nine turnovers and held the Lady Tigers to one of eight shooting from the field.
With the win, Denmark-Olar improves to 9-2 overall and 3-0 in region play.
Denmark-Olar High coach Ashley Patterson said the team played well late after a sluggish beginning.
"It wasn't pretty, but a win is a win," Patterson said.
"Tonight, I believe we came out and played at the pace of our opponent. In the second half, we came out a little more aggressive and got into a better flow offensively."
Several others playing well for the Lady Vikings were Jessica Davis with eight points and Tyneka Sanders with five points.
The Lady Tigers played well early, but ran out of gas offensively down the stretch. K'Oshjah Hall helped to keep the Lady Tigers in striking distance through the first three quarters. Hall led the team with 17 points on seven of 13 shooting from the field. She added six steals, four assists and four rebounds.
Also playing well for the Lady Tigers were Alexandria Gibbs and Parris Lee. Gibbs nearly scored a double double after finishing with nine points and 11 rebounds. Lee racked up seven points, eight steals and three assists.
"I'm proud of the effort. My girls played hard. We had a few costly mistakes and that was the difference," Allendale-Fairfax High coach Perry Smalls said.