Helias got off to a very good start Tuesday night.
That helped make the finish a little less frantic.
Helias jumped out to a 12-0 lead against St. Dominic, then made enough free throws in the fourth quarter to post a 36-30 victory in a clash of Lady Crusaders at Rackers Fieldhouse.
"It might be the first time this season we've gotten off to a start like that against somebody," Helias coach Alan Lepper said. "Usually, we're the one trying to battle our way back.
"We wanted to come out and have a good first few minutes and we did."
Ashley Rehagen hit a 3-pointer to get Helias going in the game. Ellie Rockers followed with a bucket and two free throws before a putback by Morgan Wieberg made it 9-0.
A 3-pointer by Lauren Alexander with 3:06 left in the opening quarter capped Helias' run and brought a St. Dominic timeout.
Helias, which held a 14-3 advantage after one quarter, led by as many as 14 points in the second on its way to a 21-9 lead at the half.
St. Dominic was 3-of-17 from the field and 3-of-11 at the free-throw line in the first two quarters.
"Those were a couple of very good quarters on defense for us," Lepper said.
St. Dominic switched defenses at the start of the second half, going from a zone to man-to-man.
"I think that threw us a little bit," Lepper said. "We became the hittee instead of the hitter."
A layup by Rockers with 7:10 on the clock gave Helias a 23-11 lead. But those were the lone points of the quarter for the home squad and a late bucket pulled St. Dominic to within one at 23-22 with eight minutes to play.
But Helias never lost the lead.
"That's a testament to the kids," Lepper said. "We've been through battles like this before this season. The kids did not want to lose this ballgame."
A layup by Rehagen with 7:47 to play snapped Helias' scoreless streak. Three points was as close as St. Dominic would get, the final time coming at 33-30 with :25 left.
St. Dominic was forced to foul in the final few minutes and Helias hit just enough free throws (9-of-16 in the final quarter) to ice the victory.
Alexander and Rockers had 10 points each for Helias, while Rehagen pulled down a game-high nine rebounds.
Madeline Bauer finished with eight points to lead St. Dominic (12-6).
Helias (8-13) will play Thursday night at Hickman. The JV game will start at 6 p.m, with the varsity to follow around 7:30 p.m.
Helias will then face Eureka in the rescheduled third-place game in the Union Tournament on Saturday afternoon.
In Tuesday night's JV game, Helias was a 50-37 winner against St. Dominic.