The Northeast Lauderdale girls basketball players had two opponents Friday afternoon: Leake Central and their own fatigue.

After opening the Region 4-4A tournament with a 51-35 win against Kosciusko Tuesday, the Lady Trojans dropped a semifinal matchup with Choctaw Central Thursday to set up Friday’s consolation round against the Lady Gators. With few chances to sub in backups during games that determined playoff seedings, the Lady Trojan starters once again logged most of the game’s 32 minutes against Leake Central.

But a strong defensive performance against an undermanned Lady Gators team led to a 44-28 win and a third-place finish in the Region 4-4A tournament, which Northeast Lauderdale hosted. After trailing 10-8 through one quarter of play, the Lady Trojans held Leake Central to just four second-quarter points and built a 10-point lead at halftime, which they never relinquished.

“It was a defensive struggle,” Northeast Lauderdale coach Lewis Lightsey said. “Leake was kind of beat up and down a couple of players, so we felt like if we could keep them from scoring it would give us a big advantage. I thought Brittney Wells came out for us and got several putbacks and dominated early for us before she got into foul trouble, and then I thought our defensive intensity in the second quarter was good. We were able to press them and change the tempo a little bit, and then the ability of our guards in the late third and fourth quarter to spread the floor, handle (the ball) and make free throws was really the difference.”

Wells scored six of her team’s eight first-quarter points, and the Lady Trojans’ Mercedes Blanks tallied seven points in the second quarter to help her team take the lead. In the final 4:39 before halftime, Northeast Lauderdale went on a 13-0 run to go ahead 24-14 at the break. The Lady Gators were limited to just six points in the third quarter, and Northeast Lauderdale had a 32-20 advantage heading into the fourth.

The Lady Trojans went to the line eight times in the fourth quarter and sank 8 of 14 free throws while limiting Leake Central to just seven points in the final eight minutes. Blanks finished with a game-high 13 points, while Kennedi Jimison tallied 12 points and Wells had nine. 

“We’re a little tired,” Lightsey admitted. “We’re going to take Saturday off and come back in Sunday afternoon and get ready to go for Monday.”

Jimison and point guard Molly Moore were named to the All-Tournament team, and Jimison said the game was a mental battle in not giving in to the fatigue she and her teammates were feeling.

“You just have to really want it and really be determined to do what you have to do to win,” Jimison said.

It was worth it, though, as it secured the Lady Trojans a No. 3 seed out of Region 4-4A.

“It was really big if you want to continue playing and keep moving forward,” Jimison said. 

Said Lightsey, “That was really big. If things fall right, it could be a good seed for us. … Also, being in this division I think is going to make us playoff-ready.”

The Lady Trojans (16-12) will play at South Pontotoc Monday in the first round of the MHSAA Class 4A playoffs.