PINETOWN — In a very competitive, back-and-forth contest, the Unity Christian Academy Lady Warriors hit some clutch free throws late to slam the door on the hosting Northside Lady Panthers, 47-43, Wednesday night

The Lady Warriors (8-0) have put together a remarkable run to begin the season. In this week’s tournament at Northside, they defeated East Carteret 38-32 to advance into the Championship game Tuesday evening.

Fundamentals are key in the Lady Warriors success according to head coach Harvey Case. The Lady Warriors don’t turn the ball over at a high rate. They pass the ball with succession and find open shooters.

Sophomore center Shyanne Brokenborough averages well over a double-double with points and rebounds per game. She had 11 points against the Panthers on Wednesday evening. Junior guard Catherine Cutler, the oldest player on the Lady Warriors squad, dropped a team-high 16 points.

Sophomore point guard Kipper Case was the unsung hero in Wednesday night’s contest, as she has been all season. She had to break the Lady Panthers’ full-court press with her speed and ball handling skills for a good portion of the game. She also hit five free throws in a row in the fourth quarter to seal the game. She finished with nine points.

“We had to pass a lot. It was tough to dribble with all that pressure, but my teammates helped me out all night and I couldn’t have done it without any of them,” Kipper Case said holding the tournament championship plaque after the game. “It felt amazing (hitting the late free throws), I didn’t know if I was going to make them or not, but it was awesome that I did.”

The Lady Panthers (1-1) cut their deficit to three points multiple times in the fourth quarter, but couldn’t gain possession to close the gap further.

Northside’s Katie Godley tried to will her team back in the game after the Lady Warriors stretched their lead to seven just under three minutes to go. After Godley scored consecutive baskets, Unity bled clock until they were fouled. The Lady Warriors sank 10-of-15 free throws in the fourth quarter, which was enough to secure the win.

“We played our best, took care of the ball well enough. We turned it over some, but our kids are young. But, they’re competitive. They have a great competitive spirit, they fight for everything, they rebound and they hustle,” Harvey Case said after the win. “It’s about believing in yourself, getting out there and working hard and see how it pays off. Hitting free throws here at the end was clutch, that’s what makes winners — getting used to pressure and coming through.”

Meagan Jensen came in and turned in quality minutes for the Warriors, grabbing four points and as many rebounds on the evening. Kirbi Case hit some big shots for the Lady Warriors on Wednesday night as well and finished with eight points.

Godley scored eight points in the final frame for the Panthers, and 20 for the game. Prentiss Thomas added eight points, Ve’Era Holloway tallied four points, Diedre Spencer, Jean Grace Dehoog and Diedre Spencer also earned a bucket a-piece.

Northside’s girls will travel to Perquimans this evening to face an undefeated Lady Pirates (3-0) squad.

The Lady Warriors look to keep their undefeated streak alive against Gramercy Christian (1-2) next Friday, Dec. 13.