Southern Lab's Kori Wesley handles the ball against Zachary during the matchup held at Zachary High on Tuesday, December 16, 2025.
Zachary and Southern Lab headed into the fourth quarter deadlocked at 28 points apiece.
Broncos sophomore Asia Bell got the ball to open the final quarter. She drove to the cup and put the ball in for a layup. Her score sparked a 14-2 run over the next four minutes of play that gave Zachary a 42-30 lead.
The Kittens made a late push, but the Broncos (8-0) held on to win 43-37 at the Havoc House at Zachary High School on Tuesday night.
"It's a big one for us," Broncos coach Tami McClure said. "They're a great team. (Southern Lab coach) Krystal (Flowers) always has them prepared."
The Broncos' fourth-quarter run was fueled by the play of Bell, senior Ava Raymond and freshman Marcia Robinson.
Raymond scored a big layup for Zachary's second score after Robinson managed a block on the other end. After drawing consecutive fouls, Robinson hit four free throws to stretch the run.
Southern Lab (8-2) senior Asia Patin scored four points late to make it close, but the Kittens failed to convert on late possessions to claw all of the way back.
Bell and Raymond each scored 12 points in the win. Patin scored 17 points in the loss for Southern Lab.
The Kittens held a 12-9 lead after the first quarter. McClure said her side needed to adjust defensively to deal with Patin, who is a McNeese State commitment along with Raymond.
"Mad respect for her," McClure said of Patin. "We had to take the ball out of her hands the best we could. We had to make that adjustment, coming up and doubling on her."
Patin scored four points in the first quarter, but she was held scoreless in the second quarter. Zachary held Southern Lab to just two points in the quarter, outscoring the Kittens 10-2 to take a 19-14 lead into halftime.
"I thought the girls did a good job ... putting that together," McClure said. "That was the difference. We got back on the momentum and had some turnovers going our way."
Patin got going again in the second half, using isolation plays to score six points in the third quarter. She also dished out two assists. Raymond and Bell scored six of the Broncos' nine points in the quarter.
Zachary's big run in the fourth helped the Broncos take a lead they'd never give up. Fastbreak points played a key role in the run.
"We had to control the boards," McClure said. "In the first half, we weren't rebounding well. We told them to win this ball game, you've got to get the boards, and you've got to play good defense."