Defending Division 7-1A champion Bogue Chitto used a 9-0 run to begin the fourth quarter to subdue a pesky St. Al girls’ team Friday night at St. Al. The Lady Bobcats went on to the 69-47 win.

The Lady Flashes (2-8, 0-1) went to a full-court press in the second half and made the Lady Bobcats (10-4, 1-0) earn every basket in the second half. Point guard Adrienne Wallace keyed the decisive run with a pair of baskets while Marshonique Blackwell had a 3-pointer to turn a 45-37 game into a 54-37 cushion.

First-year St. Al coach Cookie Johnson felt her team is making progress.

“I think we can beat this team if make some shots and not have as many (24) turnovers,” Johnson said. “We played really hard on defense, especially Ellie Welp. She had a tremendous game. She made some steals on defense and got a lot of rebounds.”

Welp had 10 rebounds and six steals in the second half. She finished with eight points, 13 rebounds, six steals and three assists.

St. Al trailed 18-3 in the first quarter after making one out of its first 15 shots. The shooting improved in the second quarter and the Lady Flashes got back in the game. They trailed 36-27 at the half after Ann Garrison Thomas scored eight of her 19 points.

Ashtin Giambrone’s 3-point play with 1:10 left in third quarter got St. Al to within eight at 45-37, but they could not get any closer.

Earlneshia Dillon led Bogue Chitto with 28 points. Blackwell and Wallace each had 14 points.

Allie Willis finished with nine points, seven rebounds and five assists.

St. Al travels to Greenville St. Joe today, a team they beat by 28 earlier this year, and are off until Jan. 3.

(B) Bogue Chitto 65,

St. Aloysius 62

The Flashes had a four-point lead and the ball with two minutes to go, but could not hold off the Bobcats.

St. Al’s Matthew Foley took a 3-pointer that missed and Bogue Chitto (5-9) got baskets from Zachary Perkins and James Blackwell to tie the game at 61. A free throw by Ben Welp gave the Flashes (1-9) its last lead at 62-61 with 1:15 left. Perkins answered with a 16-foot jumper to give the Bobcats the lead for good at 63-62 with a minute left.

Elliot Bexley had two shots at retaking the lead, the last on a 10-footer with 16 seconds left, but missed and Bogue Chitto escaped.

“In those situations, you have to get to the basket,” St. Al coach Delvin Thompson said. “We’re down one and they’re in the bonus, we wanted everything to go to the basket. You can’t rely on a jump shot.”

The loss was the third at home where St. Al outplayed its opponent but could not close out.

“Every game is an experience,” Thompson said. “We will learn how to finish games.”

Bexley led St. Al with 25 points, five assists and three steals. Kameron Reed was impressive with 19 points and 17 rebounds. Foley had six points, four rebounds, five assists and four steals.

Bogue Chitto had four players in double figures, led by Perkins with 16 points. Damien Terrell had 15, followed by Dennis Rogers with 14 and Jermaine Blackwell had 12.