MONTGOMERY — MONTGOMERY — Loogootee was leading 16-5, senior guard Wynter Wagoner was on a roll, and North Daviess appeared to be ready to end a season in the opening round game of the Class A girls basketball sectional here Friday.

But the Cougars found a different defense, team manager turned player Darrah Holder dropped two treys, and momentum had changed sides.

North Daviess then opened a seven-point lead in a third quarter that saw Wagoner draw her fourth foul, and the Cougars held on in the final eight minutes to upset the Lions, 35-30.

“We had some foul trouble, they (North Daviess) got to the foul line, and they kept chipping away and made two three’s in the second quarter that really broke our back,” Loogootee coach Josh Mullis said.

Loogootee (15-7) appeared to be in control of the game after scoring the first eight points of the second quarter.

The first quarter saw an 8-4 Loogootee lead that Wagoner stretched to 16-5 with 5:23 left in the half.

Meghan Knepp scored the game’s first two points with 5:15 to play in the opener, but the Cougars did not score from the field again until Holder hit the first of two threes with 3:13 to play in the half.

Holder’s second three helped cut the halftime lead to 16-13 Loogootee, but the Lions went without points for the final 5:23 of the half.

“They (North Daviess) were behind by three, but they probably felt as though they were ahead,” Mullis said. “They were where they wanted to be.”

“We switched defenses when they had that 16-5 lead,” North Daviess coach Ron Knepp said. “We were concentrating on Wagoner anyway, but we changed to give us more people to watch her.”

Larynda Keith spent most of the night trying to stay with the Loogootee senior who averaged 20 points per game. Wagoner had 10 points at halftime, but went almost two quarters without a bucket after getting the eighth point with 5:23 to go.

“Larynda’s defense was really good,” Knepp said. “That was a huge difference maker for us. The other thing was Darrah Holder hitting those two three-pointers. It gave us some confidence, and once we got that, you could see the momentum change and we rode that confidence into the second half.”

The second half started well for the Cougars as Sabra Smith grabbed four offensive rebounds and converted the opportunities into four points with a bucket and two free throws.

“Sabra did a tremendous job on the boards, getting some putbacks,” Knepp said. “It was just a team effort. Everyone who went on the floor gave us quality minutes.”

Her second free throw gave the Cougars an 18-17 lead, and when Wagoner picked up her fourth foul with 4:04 remaining, the Cougars closed out the third with a 26-19 lead.

“Once they got the lead and with Wynter having four fouls, we were in a bit of trouble,” Mullis said. “We did the best we could, but we needed other people to step up and score.”

Knepp did much of the offensive damage in the opening three quarters with all of 13 points. Knepp scored seven points in the crucial third.

“Darrah got us going and Meghan carried us through the middle,” Knepp said.

As the Cougars opened the lead, the Lions couldn’t find the basket.

The Lions scored three points in a 13:23 span from the middle of the second quarter through the end of the third.

“We go off to a decent start, but they (North Daviess) hit some shots,” Mullis said. “If the shots go up, they have a chance to go in. They fell in and gave them some momentum.”

“We just wanted to try and get to the fourth quarter,” Mullis said. “We wanted to try and stay within striking difference. We were afraid that she could pick up another foul and we would be without her for the fourth quarter.”

Wagoner returned in the fourth quarter, and she added six points in the final period.

Loogootee cut the gap to 32-28 on a Wagoner basket with 2:29 to play, but Abby Hollis found her way behind a Lion press for her only points, stretching the Cougar lead to 34-28.

“That was a big basket to help us stop their run,” Knepp said.

Wagoner scored again with 1:36 to cut the gap to 34-30, but the Lions did not score again.

While Loogootee pressed much of the final quarter, Loogootee played Wagoner on the baseline instead of the middle of the defense. That limited her participation in the press, and helped give North Daviess some room it needed.

The Lions forced six turnovers, but could never get closer than the four points.

Wagoner’s 16 led the Lions. Gabrielle Ritchey added six.

Knepps’ 13 paced ther Cougars. Smith had seven.

“We had a very good season,” Mullis said. “You hate it for the players, especially for the seniors, at the end of the day we felt like we got a lot accomplished this season.”

The Cougars now play at 7:30 tonight against Barr-Reeve for the Class A Sectional championship.