PANTEGO — Terra Ceia built an 11-0 lead that it never gave up in Friday’s regular-season finale against Pungo. The Lady Raiders didn’t make it easy for the hosting Lady Knights, though. They rallied throughout the second half, but Terra Ceia hung on for the 45-42 win.

Pungo became much less timid and much more aggressive on defense after falling behind 20-7 in the second quarter. Taylor Mann and Emma Allen were able to make shots from mid range to help the Lady Raiders start clawing back, but they still went into halftime trailing 27-12.

“Defense is what wins ball games. That’s what I’ve always told them,” Pungo coach Melanie Sawyer said. “If we had played the whole four quarters that way, we would have come out on top.”

It was almost a carbon copy of the Jan. 12 meeting between the two in Belhaven. Terra Ceia owned the first half and the second belonged to Pungo. The only thing missing was the Lady Raiders walking out with the win.

“We had a little bit bigger lead this time, so I felt comfortable. Then they just took it away and it was turning into last time at their place,” Terra Ceia coach Daren Hubers said. “We were having trouble getting the ball in bounds and it just started slipping away.”

Instead, Catherine Meijer and Rebecca Harrison were able to provide the sparks needed for Terra Ceia to finish it off. They scored 15 points apiece, including a pair of late free throws by Meijer that gave Terra Ceia its decisive three-point lead.

“That was huge,” Hubers said. “She came up huge for us. With a three-point lead at that point, just don’t foul and don’t let them shoot the 3-pointer. Huge free throws.”

Meijer had a double-double by grabbing an astounding 26 rebounds, too. Her dominance on the glass was especially apparent on the offensive end as she came up with 14 offensive rebounds. As a team, the Lady Knights got plenty of extra scoring chances thanks to 29 offensive rebounds.

Harrison had eight steals to fuel Terra Ceia’s transition offense and dished out four assists to help coordinate the team’s attack.

Pungo chipped away and entered the fourth period facing a nine-point deficit that Terra Ceia extended to 12 points early in the quarter. Mann’s presence in the paint helped ignite a 10-1 run that cut the host’s lead to 40-37.

Late-game dramatics were at an all-time high as Renae Auer’s game-tying free throw nearly rolled out of the basket. It dropped and Pungo tied things at 41 apiece.

Terra Ceia reclaimed the lead and had a chance. Harrison’s had a chance to extend it in the waning moments of the game, but missed a pair of free throws, leaving Pungo with one last chance to come back.