GARDNER — For eight minutes, everything seemed to be going well for James Monroe. The Lady Mavericks held a 13-10 lead and had all the momentum. Then the Lady Panthers turned up the defensive pressure and turned a three-point deficit into an eight-point lead.
PikeView kept the pressure going and their offense followed as they pulled away for the victory.
“It meant so much with it being senior night,” PikeView head coach Karen Miller said. “We wanted to send Laura [Hill] out on a winning not. We’re getting ready for sectionals and it was good to get these going into it.
“We’re playing like we should at this time. I like that. Our defense is really stepping up.”
Emily McKinney drilled two three’s and added a score in the first quarter for James Monroe. Kelsie Gillespie converted three of four from the line to help the Mavericks get out the early lead.
Courtney White’s six points kept PikeView close before they got going in the second quarter.
Eight different Panthers scored in the second period as they turned a three-point deficit into a 33-21 lead at the break. PikeView limited James Monroe to eight points while they dropped 23.
“We came really hitting really well in the first quarter,” James Monroe head coach Mallory McPherson. “Then in second quarter went a little dry and third quarter went really dry. Same thing happened at home when we played them. They came out and could not miss in the third quarter.
“We got ourselves in such a deficit and we got so down. We fought back in the fourth quarter and we tried. It’s no fun to loss to a team two times, but next week is when it really counts when we play in sectionals.”
The Lady Panthers continued to build their lead in the third quarter as Hope Nester hit back-to-back three’s.
She then hit Laura Hill on the fastbreak and Lyndsay Hatfield found Alexis May to make it 43-22.
PikeView led 47-28 after three, but James Monroe fought back to trim the margin to 12 points. They would not get any closer down the stretch.
Nester led all scores with 21 points. White and Madison May each added 10 points.
McKinney’s 14 points paced James Monroe.
The Lady Panthers (11-10) play the winner of River View and Mount View in the sectional semifinals Tuesday at 6 p.m. in Princeton.
The Lady Mavericks (12-10) play Bluefield following the conclusion of that game.

Girls Game
JAMES MONROE (12-18)
Carter Shiflet 7, Emily McKinney 14, Jordan Page 7, Kelsie Mann 8, Mikala Moran 2, Kelsie Gillespie 6. Totals- 15 11-19 46.
PIKEVIEW (11-10)
Laura Hill 4, Hope Nester 21, Madison May 10, Lauryn Hatfield 1, Alexis May 7, Lyndsey Hatfield 9, Courtney White 10, Savannah Runion 2. Totals- 22 17-28 64.
James Monroe........................13 8 7 18 — 46
PikeView............................10 23 14 17 — 64
3 pt field goals: JM 5 (McKinney 4, Page); PV 3 (Nester 3). Fouled out: none.