After getting blown out on the road last year to the Burges Mustangs, the girl’s varsity basketball played a competitive home game that intensified in the fourth quarter Tuesday night.

Headed into the game, Pebble Hills were already at a disadvantage, three starting guards, seniors Jimiyah Stewart, Thalia Watters, and sophomore Payton Fields were sidelined due to injuries in last week’s championship game against Franklin in the Chapin Tournament.

The game was off to a slow start, but junior Trinity Anderson took it upon herself and scored the only 13 points of the first half. The Spartans were facing a 6-point deficit, 19-13.

Man-to-man defense the entire game is how head coach Steven Lee wanted his team to defend and create turnovers and it continued as the game was nearing the conclusion. The first two minutes of the fourth quarter, the Spartans were able to create turnovers from their pressure defense and score 8 points to help trim the deficit. The last 3 minutes were pivotal as the Spartans were able to take the lead, 35-31.

But the Mustangs would take the lead again. The final chance for the Spartans came when Dinisha Prince stole the ball and passed to a wide open Skylar Turjillo who was in position to win the game, but missed a right-handed layup that would have won the game.

The Spartans have lost two consecutive games, and return to action against Horizon next Tuesday.