The Fulton Lady Hornets just wouldn't go away until the Helias Lady Crusaders finally found a way to put them away.
"They're a well-coached group of players who have been together for a while," Helias coach Doug Light said Friday night after the Lady Crusaders posted a 56-38 win against the Lady Hornets at Rackers Fieldhouse. "That's a combination that makes it tough to put them away.
"In their minds, they're confident they're never out of it. They think they're going to come back and get you. They never quit playing."
One thing Fulton didn't have was a way to stop Helias' Luci Francka. The junior guard, who has consistently led the Lady Crusaders in scoring this season, finished with 25 points.
"She works so hard in practice, she's never satisfied and wants to be better every day," Light said. "She does so much for us."
Helias led by as many as 10 points in the first quarter before Fulton came back to cut its deficit to 15-8. The Lady Hornets were within five early in the second quarter before the Lady Crusaders took a 26-16 advantage into intermission.
In the third quarter, Fulton cut Helias' lead to 30-24 midway through the period. But the Lady Crusaders went on a 10-0 run to close the quarter, with Francka totaling six points in the spurt.
Fulton got to within 10 at 46-38 with just under three minutes remaining before Helias closed the game on a 10-2 run. The 18-point final margin matched the biggest of the game for the Lady Crusaders.
One of the big keys to the game was Helias' domination on the boards. The Lady Crusaders outrebounded the Lady Hornets 40-17, with many of those coming on the offensive glass resulting in second and third shots.
"That was huge," Light said. "We wanted to win the game inside and I think we did that."
Helias senior Molly Sandbothe, who has been playing with a sore back after taking a charge earlier this month, had seven of her game-high 12 rebounds in the first quarter alone.
"We thought she would be a role player for us this season, but she's gotten into the starting lineup and she has thrived," Light said.
Mai Nienhueser added 10 points off the bench for Helias, while Darcy Baird pulled down seven rebounds for the Lady Crusaders.
Sloane Totta finished with 18 points to lead Fulton.
"She can do so many good things," Light said. "She is a really good player, you can't relax defensively on her or she is going to score."
Helias (10-5) will host Jefferson City on Monday.
Helias defeated Fulton 52-12 in Friday's JV game as Olivia Johanns finished with 10 points.