The 12th-ranked Lady Cardinals kept hopes for a 31st Region XIV Conference title in the last 33 seasons alive Saturday, but it required a comeback of monumental status.
At halftime, the Lady Cardinals trailed by 24, yes, 24. Kilgore was in command with a 47-23 lead.
But the Lady Cardinals refused to go away quietly into the Saturday afternoon at Masters Gymnasium. They turned up the defensive intensity and outscored the Lady Rangers 27-6 in the third quarter to get within three going into the final period.
The Lady Cardinals quickly tied the score and moved into a brief lead by Kilgore answered and went into a 62-57 lead with 4:14 remaining. The Lady Rangers would not score again.
April Edwards led the Lady Cardinals with 17 points, including four three-pointers. Breanna Baxter finished with 14 points and nine rebounds.
Lydie Mwamba and Emani Jenkins netted eight points each.
In winning for an eighth straight time, the Lady Cardinals raised their season record to 21-5. They are 11-3 in league action. The Lady Cardinals have two games remaining. Angelina, 12-3, has one.
Here are the remaining conference games:
Wednesday, March 6 – Jacksonville at TVCC; Blinn at Kilgore; Angelina at Panola; Coastal Bend at Paris
Saturday, March 9 – TVCC at Paris; Kilgore at Tyler; Jacksonville at Blinn, Panolat Coastal Bend
