STEPHENVILLE – Needing a victory over the sixth-ranked team in the state to avoid a postseason play-in game, the Brownwood Lady Lions were plagued by a scoreless third quarter en route to a 45-27 loss Brownwood, Lampasas to meet at 6 p.m. Monday in San Saba to determine 6-4A’s fourth and final playoff seed to District 6-4A champion Stephenville Friday night.

“We battled in the first two quarters and kept it to where it needed to be,” said Lady Lions head coach Heather Hohertz. “They missed some easy shots and we missed some easy shots, but it was a two-point game going in at halftime. I challenged my girls to come out and keep fighting, but it’s hard to win a ball game when you don’t score in the third quarter.”

Trailing just 14-12 at halftime, the Lady Lions (9-14, 2-6) were outscored 14-0 in third quarter by Stephenville (20-2, 7-1), which was able to coast down the stretch.

“We had some right under the basket looks that we missed, some tip outs that went the other way for layups for them, and some turnovers that went for layups for them,” Hohertz said. “I told them we couldn’t have any empty possessions and we did the polar opposite and had zero points.

Brooke Price scored nine points to pace the Brownwood offense followed by Kynslee Walker with five, Alexa Arreola, Mady Pyle, Tessa Goodwin, and Jaylen Savage with three points apiece, and CarolAnn Hetzel chipped in one point.

Landri Withers led Stephenville with 23 points while Mya Wilson also finished in double figures with 11 points.

With the loss, the Lady Lions will now face Lampasas (19-8, 2-6) – which upset No. 5 Glen Rose, 46-45, this past Tuesday – at 6 p.m. Monday in San Saba in a game that will determine the fourth and final playoff seed from District 6-4A. Brownwood won the first meeting, 57-52, at Warren Gym on Jan. 8 and fell at Lampasas, 62-40, on Jan. 26

“There’s a lot on the line, the winner goes to the playoffs and the loser goes home,” said Hohertz, who has led the Lady Lions to the playoffs in each of 11 previous seasons. “We can’t have a quarter like we did in the third period and expect to come out with the win. Lampasas is playing some pretty good basketball right now and we’re going to have to adjust defensively and make sure our scouting report and game plan is on point, and make sure we’re ready to go.”