Battle girls basketball surged to a huge lead and held off a late comeback attempt to defeat crosstown rival Hickman 55-51 on Friday night.
Ke’shai Hayes scored 13 of her game-high 21 points in the first half to stake host Battle to a 31-9 halftime lead. The Spartans limited Hickman to a single field goal in each of the first two quarters, with Ella Rogers accounting for all but two of the Kewpies’ points.
But Hickman clawed its way back into striking distance after the break.
Five different Kewpies scored in the third quarter as they showed signs of life before giving Battle a scare, nearly doubling their point total for the game in the final period. Sophia Elfrink netted 10 of her 12 points for Hickman in the fourth quarter, and Rogers rounded out her 20-point night with six points in the last frame.
After trailing 46-28 through three quarters, Hickman outscored Battle 23-9 in the fourth to close its deficit within single digits but was never able to tie or take the lead.
Battle improves to 9-12 overall and 3-3 in the Central Missouri Activities Conference, while Hickman falls to 6-14 overall and 2-3 in CMAC play.
Both teams have one game left in the regular season before the Class 6 District 8 Tournament. Battle is scheduled to host nonconference opponent Centralia on Tuesday, while Hickman is slated to close league play at Jefferson City on Thursday.