Hope Fancil led LCA with 17 points during Thursday’s loss to Blackhawk Christian.

WINONA LAKE — It was a tough one to lose, but the hope is that something can be learned from the experience.

The Lakeland Christian girls basketball team played host to Blackhawk Christian Thursday night and the Cougars looked as if they were going to claim their first win over the Braves since 2008, but that simply was not in the cards. Blackhawk turned the tide in the third quarter of a Cougar-controlled contest to escape 46-39.

“It was senior night and our girls came out pretty pumped and ready to go,” said LCA head coach Allison Kauffman. “But a couple of shots don’t fall in that third quarter, a few things don’t go our way, a few calls. We’ve been talking about mental toughness and how those things stick with us. We fell a little bit in the third quarter and picked it back up in the fourth, but that did really did cost us a lot.”

Coming out of the half, LCA found itself in a 25-25 tie with Blackhawk. The Braves opened up the third on a 7-0 run and would win the frame 12-4. Jessica Slone scored the first basket of the quarter for the Cougars, but that did not come until the 2:41 mark in the third.

LCA went on a 6-0 run midway through the fourth and had the score down to a two-point deficit, 37-35. But that was, essentially, the last gasp for the Cougars. LCA outscored Blackhawk 10-9 in the fourth, but it was too little, too late. The shaky third quarter put a damper on what was an excellent first half by LCA.

The Cougars fell behind early on, but went on an impressive 11-0 run in the first quarter to take a 12-5 lead. LCA found itself boasting a 14-10 lead heading into the second. Big shots from key players like Hope Fancil and Melissa Goss helped the Cougars control the game for much of the second quarter as well. Kyre Mercer had the most notable play of the second, however, as she stole the ball and laid it in for two before the buzzer to help the Braves tie things up at 25.

LCA senior Melissa Goss (right) hugs Cougar coach Allison Kauffman during Thursday’s senior night ceremony.

It was truly a tale of two halves for LCA. While its tough to take any loss, this one had a little extra sting as it was the final home game for Goss, the team’s lone senior.

“She’s the envy of every coach,” Kauffman said of Goss. “As a coach, she’s the type of player that you want on your team. She brings it, she works hard and she has a great attitude, not just in every game, but in every practice. She’s not only a leader on the court, but off the court as well. She has the respect of her teammates because she walks her talk. She’s still the one that carries the ball bag to the bus, even though we tell the team that seniors aren’t supposed to do that. But, that’s Melissa, that’s who she is. She’s a servant and she gives her all every single time on the court. That’s all that any coach could ever ask for.”

Goss scored nine points in Thursday’s contest and led the team with 10 rebounds, six assists and a pair of blocks. She also tied for the team lead with two steals along with Fancil and Anna Reimink. Fancil led tied for a game-high 17 points. Blackhawk’s Courtney Pulver also had 19 while Isabella Coats added 11 for the Braves.

LCA (11-10) plays at Clinton Christian Saturday at 3 p.m.

LCA fell in the JV contest 31-9. Winnie Kyandaluba led LCA’s JV with six points.