BLANCA – It was a close game for three quarters when the Sierra Grande High School girls basketball team hosted Creede on Friday.

However, the Lady Panthers came alive in the fourth quarter and they went on to defeat the Lady Miners 49-35.

Lila Fairchild put Creede on the board early with a layup, and then Jasmin Laing also scored for a 4-0 lead. Eneria Quintana accounted for Sierra Grande’s first points, but Angel Edmonds scored for a 6-2 lead.

Yazmin Molina hit a jumper, and Jaylyn Quezada spit at the free throw line to bring the Lady Panthers within 6-5. But Fairchild scored again. Alexandra Garcia and Audrey Gerardo both scored to give Sierra Grande its first lead of the night at 9-8.

Laing and Edmonds both scored to put the Lady Miners back into the lead. Gerardo scored just before the clock expired and Creede led 12-11 at the end of the first quarter.

Quezada and Molina opened the second quarter with baskets to give the Lady Panthers a 15-12 edge. But Laing made one of two free throws, and Edmonds and Fairchild both scored for a 17-15 Lady Miners lead.

Quezada made two free throws to tie the score, but Ava Anderson split at the line, and Edmonds and Anderson both scored to give Creede its largest lead of the game at 22-17.

Quintana drove for a layup to cut the lead to 22-19 at halftime.

Ahlea Garcia scored the first points of the second half for Sierra Grande, but Fairchild drained the first 3-point basket of the game. Gerardo answered with a trey on the other end, and then Quintana and Molina both scored to give the Lady Panthers a 28-25 lead.

Edmonds drove for a layup, and Fairchild made one of two free throws to tie the score at 28-28. Laing made a free throw to put Creede back on top, but Quezada made a trey, and Gerardo split at the line and the Lady Panthers led 32-29 at the end of the third quarter.

Ahlea Garcia began the fourth quarter by splitting at the line, and Quintana made two free throws. Ahlea Garcia then made back-to-back layups to extend the advantage to 39-29.

Fairchild made two consecutive threes to bring the Lady Miners within 39-35, but that would be the final time they would score. Sierra Grande scored the final 10 points with Quezada and Quintana both scoring four points and Ahlea Garcia scoring two.

Quezada and Quintana both scored 12 points to lead the Lady Panthers. Fairchild scored 16 points for the Lady Miners and Edmonds scored 10.

Sierra Grande (6-5, 3-0) also defeated Cotopaxi 35-25 on Saturday. It hosted Kim/Branson on Tuesday and it will host Moffat on Saturday.

Creede (5-8, 2-1) bounced back ti a 65-19 win over Moffat on Saturday. It will host Sangre de Cristo on Friday.

Sierra Grande 59, Creede 35

Creede – Fairchild 6 1-4 16, Jenkins 0 0-0 0, Ja. Laing 2 2-4 6, Edmonds 5 0-0 10, M4ead 0 0-0 0, Ji. Laing 0 0-0 0, Regan 0 0-0 0, Anderson 1 1-2 3. Total 14 4-10 35.

3-point goals – Fairchild 3.

Sierra Grande – Al. Garcia 2 0-0 4, Quintana 4 4-6 12, Rodriguez 0 0-0 0, Molina 3 0-0 6, Ah. Garcia 3 1-7 7, Quezada 2 7-8 12, Gerardo 3 1-2 8. Total 17 13-23, 49.

3-point goals – Gerardo 1, Quezada 1. Total 2.

Creede 12 10 7 6 – 35

Sierra Grande 11 8 13 17 – 49

Fouls – Creede 20, Sierra Grande 11. Fouled out – Edmonds, Jenkins, Ja. Laing. Technical foul – Edmonds.