DAPHNE, Alabama — A series of brief rallies and tough defensive plays in the third quarter helped keep the Lady Lions in the hunt for an area win at Daphne High Tuesday night, but the explosive scoring arsenal of the senior-laden Lady Trojans down the stretch resulted in a 60-48 6A Area 3 win over Foley.

Daphne extended a 14-9 first quarter lead to a 29-15 advantage at the half. Foley rallied back to within 10 points three times in the third period, but the Lady Trojans outscored the visitors 10-4 in the last two minutes of the third to lead 46-28 to start the fourth.

Foley’s Brittney Davis opened the final period with back-to-back three-pointers, a block, a steal and score and three rebounds to lead the Lady Lions’ efforts while the Lady Trojans were unable to score in the first three minutes.

A later 13-6 run by FHS lifted the Lady Lions to within eight points 56-48 with 56.2 seconds to go, but Daphne’s Teira Green and Victoria Mason combined to score 2-of-4 at the free-throw line while DeeDee Koen’s offensive-rebound put-back squashed the comeback and iced the 12-point margin of victory for the Lady Trojans.

“I was proud of how the girls stayed focus and mentally tough tonight,” said Lady Trojan head coach Tereance Pinkney. “Been kind of a long day for everybody,” he added in reference to the funeral earlier Friday for Daphne mayor and former Fairhope High and Baldwin County Training schools coach and administrator Bailey Yelding, Jr., who died Tuesday.

“The girls and boys dedicated the game to ‘Coach’ tonight and wanted to win it for him,” Pinkney added.

Yelding’s grandaughter, Amber Yelding, played for Pinkney and graduated last year from Daphne. Her brother, C.J. Yelding is a junior guard for the Trojans. Their father, Cedric Yelding, Sr., is the DHS boys’ head coach.

“We all felt like he would want us to just go on out and play,” Pinkney added. “The best way to remember him and honor his memory is to just play hard and play to win. Tonight we got it done. But we’ll be missing him.”

Home from Shelton State Community College, where she is the starting point-guard for the womens team, Amber Yelding, echoed that sentiment.

“We miss him and always will. But he’s smiling on us and wants us to keep doing the things he taught us and we just want to always make him proud of us.”

BOYS: A third quarter scoring blitz by the Daphne Trojans broke a 34-28 halftime lead over visiting Foley into a 68-36, 6A Area 3, win for DHS at Jubilee Gym Friday night.

The Trojans led 14-10 to close the first period but the Lions kept stalking scoring 18 points to Daphne’s 20 in the second quarter.

The second half was all Daphne, however, as Trojan forwards Donovan Dale, Bradley Nero, Chris Sain and Devonte Young with guards Lonnie Davis and C.J. Yelding led the home team to a two-points-per-minute scoring rate in the third period.

Daphne opened the final quarter with a 60-35 advantage.

Davis finished with 13 points, Dale 11, Nero 10, Young and Chris Sain nine each and Yelding with eight to pace scoring for the Trojans who were 7-for-9 at the free-throw line. The Lions were led by Alontai Adams with nine points, Trey Sprinkle who scored eight and Romello Harris’ seven points. Foley was 7-of-14 at the line.

Daphne improved to 13-8 overall, 5-2 in Area 3 play with area rival Fairhope (11-12, 2-4) to play Tuesday night at Pirate Gym at 7:30 p.m. The Lions will host Robertsdale Tuesday still looking for an area win at 7 p.m.