The final score of 57-37 suggests the Lady Bearcats coasted to an easy win to wrap up the first of Conference 3A-4 play in Hackett Monday night.
In reality, it was a late explosion that closed out the Lady Hornets.
After it was a two point game at the end of both the first and second quarters the Lady Bearcats (11-4, 7-0 Conference 3A-4) had opened a 13-point advantage through three quarters, 39-26.
Hackett promptly scored the first five points of the final quarter and trailed by eight with 6:51 to play.
A Linley Garrett basket pushed it back to double digits but again Hackett scored the next four points and it was 41-35 with 5:06 to play.
Out of a Lady Bearcat time out Leigh Swint (shown), who had scored just two points to that point, went to the basket and was fouled. She hit both free throws.
Swint rattled home a 3 just 21 seconds later and it was 46-35. She finished with seven points and also had a team-high 10 rebounds.
A Garrett basket was followed by Karmen Kent banking in a 3 from the top of the key and when Lexi Franklin dropped in another 3 and it was decided.
Kent scored 12 on the night and had nine rebounds and Franklin led the way with 15.
A Garrett free throw pushed it to a lead of 20, 55-35, and completed a 14-0 run that took just 3:53. That gave Garrett 13 points.
To build the 13-point lead after holding just an 18-16 lead at the half, the Lady Bearcats attacked the inside.
Kent took two passes from Swint – she had seven assists – for close range scores and it was 24-18. Swint led
Franklin into a layup and a pair of Carah Miller free throws made it 28-18.
Getting to the rim often, the Lady Bearcats would shoot eight free throws over the final 4:54 of the quarter, making six.
For the night the Lady Bearcats were 11-of-14 at the line.
The Lady Bearcats had also turned on the defensive pressure in the quarter with Layla Byrum wreaking havoc, including a steal and layup that made it 35-24 with 2:15 left in the quarter to induce a time out.
Byrum had five steals on the night.
A Garrett free throw and another basket, also by Garrett, made it 39-26 through three quarters.
That was a contrast to the first half when the largest lead was one of 18-13 before a Lady Hornet 3 cut it to 18-16 just :06 before the half.
The Lady Bearcats are scheduled to play Friday at Charleston and Saturday at Cedarville, which is a game that had originally been scheduled on December 13.
