Article & Photo by Wade Bell, Clarion News For three quarters, it looked like the Crawford County girls' basketball team would begin the season on Thursday putting a W in the win column against visiting Heritage Hills. The final eight minutes, however, proved to be a different story as the Lady Patriots turned the game around to rally back and get a 45-33 win as a disappointed Lady Pack went to the locker room. “They’re a good team,” said Crawford County coach Chris Broughton. “We just kind of ran out of steam.” The first quarter saw the Lady Pack hold a slight edge over the Lady Patriots until Mia Becher and Iyla Kress put in four straight free throws to give the Lady Patriots a 9-8 edge after one quarter. Top Videos: Third judge approves unsealing of Epstein grand jury materials In the second period, Crawford County turned up the heat defensively, forcing two quick turnovers. Payton Stephenson converted for two, and then Emery Stroud drilled a three-ball for a 13-9 Crawford County lead. Becher countered with a jumper, but Abie Adams fired in a second Lady Pack three to lead by five. Crawford County forced five more Heritage Hills turnovers, converting on two, to lead by 11, 22-11, following two freebies by Sylvia Ferriell. Kress finally stopped the run with a deuce-and-one. Stroud had the final two points of the half, and the Lady Pack went to the locker room up eight, 24-16, at the break. Stroud scored in the paint to begin the third period, but Becher countered with a three to start a momentum shift. Crawford County missed its next shot, and Heritage Hills scored in the paint. Adams drove the lane for two, but Claire Sisley countered with four, closing the gap to three, 28-25. The two teams traded points in the remaining time of the quarter with Crawford County holding a three-point edge with eight minutes left. The fourth quarter proved to be disastrous for the Lady Pack. Crawford County had four turnovers in the first 2-1/2 minutes with the Lady Patriots converting for a quick eight. Paxton Strahle put in five more to complete a 14-0 run, and Heritage Hills suddenly had a 41-30 lead. Stroud drilled her second three of the game. Heritage Hills had three straight turnovers, but the Lady Pack failed to convert any points. The Lady Patriots scored the final four points of the game and went home with a 45-33 win. Stroud led the Lady Pack with 16, and Adams followed with eight. Crawford County put in 11 of 30 field goals (37%), hitting 4 of 14 in the second half. The Lady Pack finished with 5-of-9 free throws and 23 turnovers with seven of those in the final quarter. “We had 16, 8, 4, 3 and 2,” Broughton said. “What we needed was 16, 10, 8, 6 and 4. We need more scoring out of other players.” Becher led the Lady Patriots with 15, and Kress finished with 14 for the night. Heritage Hills was 15 of 32 (47%) from the field, hitting 7-of-9 shots in the fourth quarter. The Lady Patriots cashed in 12 of 19 free throws and had 20 turnovers in the 32 minutes of play. “This is probably the best team we’ll play,” Broughton said. “We’ll learn from this and go on.” Heritage Hills 9 7 11 18 - 45 Crawford County 8 16 6 3 - 33 Heritage Hills - Becher 15, Kress, 14, Sisley 6, Strahle 6, Bell 2, Prior 2. Crawford County - Stroud 16, Adams 8, Ferriell 4, Ingle 3, Stephenson 2. 3-point goals - Heritage Hills 3 (Becher 1, Kress 1, Strahle 1); Crawford County 4 (Stroud 2, Adams 1, Ingle 1).