The Central High School girls basketball team never could pull very close in its 69-57 loss against visiting Alexander on Saturday after the opening minutes of the contest. Whenever the Lady Lions would put themselves in position to make it a tight game, the Lady Cougars hit a big shot.

Central coach Jimmy LeBlanc said he called a timeout 55 seconds into the game because of his team’s rough start on defense. He said his group’s defensive effort continued to be a major factor as the Lady Lions couldn’t make many stops.

“At no point did I feel like we were really in trouble. We were able to score. We were moving the ball,” LeBlanc said. “We just needed stops. Every time we scored, we allowed them to answer.”

Nicole Fasick scored 11 of her game-high 23 points in the fourth quarter to help Alexander ice the victory. Jasmine Jones pitched in 21 points for the Lady Cougars.

In the second quarter Central cut what had been a 20-11 deficit to three points at 22-19 on a jumpshot by Amanda Ake. But from that point, Kellie Waldrop poured in four three-pointers before the half to keep the Lady Lions down 36-29 at the break. They wouldn’t get much closer the  rest of the way.

Central pulled as close as 54-48 with 6:18 left in the fourth quarter on two Ake free throws, but the Lady Lions never could pull any closer in the game’s closing minutes as Fasick scored nine points in the final 4:30.

Central senior point guard Kelsye Holt fouled out with 6:49 left on a holding foul and a technical foul back-to-back. Even so, LeBlanc felt like his team still had a chance down the stretch.

“Even without Kelsye on the floor, we were good enough to win that game,” LeBlanc said. “We just did not defend.”

Ake led the Lady Lions with 18 points in defeat, with Narvena Buchanan adding 14. Shea Nunn had nine, with Julia Gilley putting up eight points.

After such a solid start to the season, LeBlanc is hoping Saturday’s game serves as a reminder to his players that there is still work to be done.

“I’m hoping that our girls are humbled a little bit and that they understand that they can’t show up and just win, maybe a tough lesson,” LeBlanc said.