ROBERTSDALE, Ala. – A stuck-in-the-mud start in the first quarter for the Daphne High Lady Trojans found overdrive in the second at Robertsdale as the DHS girls went on to finish with a 40-29, 6A Area 3 basketball win over the Lady Golden Bears Friday night.

Tiffany Williams' 3-pointer opened the game for the Lady Bears who built a 9-2 lead to close the first period. But Daphne's Sierra Patterson then hit on three-straight trips off defensive rebounds at the other end. The Lady Trojans continued to build and pulled to within a point 12-11 three minutes into the second and led 22-19 at the half.

Daphne extended that to 32-21 to open the fourth quarter and though Robertsdale made two good scoring runs at the lead, failed to hold off the Lady Trojan attack.

“We know we really can’t afford to lose,” said Daphne coach Scott Smith, whose team needs to win its last two area games with Fairhope and Foley to have a chance at hosting the Area 3 tournament. “We have to win out in order to tie Fairhope.”

Smith said he was proud of his team for not getting too rattled after their two-point first quarter.

“In the first half we were having good shots, we just didn’t make them,” he said. “We were missing layup after layup and little jump shots. It wasn’t like we were turning the ball over a bunch. The big thing is my kids changed their mental game. They got more focused and got emotionally into the game. They knew if they didn’t show up Robertsdale was going to beat us. Some shots started falling and then we could put more defensive pressure on them. In the second quarter we settled down and got over the nerves. They did what they had to do to win the game and I was proud of their effort.”

Robertsdale coach Scott Harville said his team did not maintain the intensity needed to hold off inevitable momentum swings.

“I didn’t feel like we played with the conviction that you need to win an area game,” he said. “We started well and when they made a little run we didn’t fight back. In a game like this it is going to go back-and-forth and they are going to put a little run on, we just didn’t answer their run.

“If you do get up early you’ve got to expect them to come back in a close, area game. We had it close the whole game. We just have to do a better job and come area-tournament time we have to be ready to play for 32 minutes. As a coach I have to have them ready."

Sierra Patterson scored 12 points, Amber Yelding added 11, Kirsten Henton seven, Amanda Patton six and Brittany McConico four for Daphne, which was 7-for-15 at the free-throw line.

Sheila Dailey scored 10 points, Tiffany Williams added seven, Kellen Shirley six and Austin Richardson five to pace Robertsdale, which hit 7-of-10 from the line.

The Lady Trojans (11-5 overall, 3-1 area) will host Foley Jan. 28 at 6 p.m., while the Lady Bears (3-15, 1-5) will play at Spanish Fort Jan. 28 at 6:30 p.m.