By Daniel Green |  BWS Sports

HAMMOND — With 3:39 to go in the third quarter, seventh-seeded Rosepine was in firm control after a pair of Barbra Ann White free throws.

But then the wheels came off the bus.

The third-ranked Rayville Lady Hornets put together a 42-15 surge over the final 11:39 of the contest to rally past the Lady Eagles in the Class 2A semifinals on Wednesday at the University Center in Hammond, 69-63.

With the loss, Rosepine finished its season with a record of 29-8, while Rayville advanced to the Class 2A finals on Saturday.

Rosepine wasted little time taking early control of the game, getting a combined 19 points from Taylor Farris and Addison Fruge in the first period, moving out to a 24-16 advantage eight minutes into the contest.

It was more of the same in the second quarter as the Lady Eagles displayed sensational shooting and solid defense as they built a 42-24 cushion heading into the break. And although they were shooting 50 percent from the floor at that time, the Lady Eagles were in a little foul trouble as both Farris and Nevaeh Rivera both had three and Fruge had two.

Despite this, Rosepine managed to open up a 21-point lead just over midway into the third quarter as Kelly Norris and White knocked down a couple of points each.

However, by the end of the third period, Rayville had trimmed the gap to 51-39.

But they were just heating up. The Lady Hornets continued chipping away at the Lady Eagles’ lead, finally tying it up at the 2:20 mark with a pair of free throws by Za’Quandrea Jackson.

A jumper from Amari West gave Rayville the lead for the first time since the earliest portion of the first quarter at 65-63. Rosepine had the opportunity to tie on its next trip down the court, but missed on a layup attempt by Rivera.

The Lady Hornets closed it out at the free throw line to seal the game and the improbable comeback victory.

West led Rayville with 23 points, 12 rebounds and six assists, while Samiyah Smith finished with 14 points. Lalaina Wood and Nakaii Webb each added 11 points.

Fruge paced the Lady Eagles with 16 points, while Farris notched 14 points. Rivera added 14 points and eight rebounds, while Norris had a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds.