The Helias Lady Crusaders weren't going to go through the motions.
Sure, the Lady Crusaders will open the postseason Saturday afternoon. But there was still a game to played Thursday night when Helias hosted Rock Bridge.
"I told the girls people can blow this game off and say it doesn't mean anything," Helias coach Alan Lepper. "But with everything we've gone through this season, every game means something to us."
The Lady Crusaders gave the Bruins, ranked No. 6 in Class 5 by the Missouri Basketball Coaches Association, all they wanted before dropping a 44-36 decision at Rackers Fieldhouse.
Helias played without junior Erin Wyrick, who suffered a season-ending foot injury near the end of practice Wednesday.
"Literally there were 3 seconds left, we were running one last rotation and it lasts 3 seconds and Erin went down," Lepper said. "I know the girls were more than a little upset when Erin went down Wednesday and I think more than a little bit of our effort tonight was for Erin."
Rock Bridge scored the first four points of Thursday's game and led 6-3 before Helias closed the opening quarter on an 11-2 run. Ashley Rehagen hit a pair of 3-pointers for Helias, while Lauren Alexander had five points in the quarter, which ended with Helias holding a 14-8 lead.
The Lady Crusaders led by as many as nine in the second quarter - that coming with 5:30 before half on a layup by Ellie Rockers made it 20-11.
"Ellie is becoming a basketball player," Lepper said. "She's always been a great athlete, but now, she's really getting it done on the basketball floor."
Helias took a 22-17 advantage into intermission.
"We have been playing great defense against big kids and the kids have bought in to what coach (Chris) Wyrick is preaching," Lepper said.
The Bruins figured to try to shake things up in the third quarter and they did that by turning up their defensive pressure.
"I don't think some of our kids handled it very well," Lepper said. "We knew they were going to do it, it was just a matter of us not executing."
Helias, which had just seven turnovers in the first half, had eight in the third quarter as Rock Bridge came back to take a 31-29 lead into the final period.
Rock Bridge opened the fourth quarter on a 7-0 run. Helias trailed by as many as 10 in the final few minutes.
Madison Treece led Rock Bridge (21-5) with 15 points. Payton McCallister added 12 points for the Bruins.
Alexander totaled 12 points to pace the Lady Crusaders, while Rockers added 10.
Helias (9-16) has just one day off before taking on Rolla in the opening round of the Class 4 District 11 Tournament at School of the Osage.
"The kids are tired, but I think playing a district game will be a good spark for them," Lepper said.
Lepper likes where his team is heading into the postseason.
"The practices have been great lately, the energy level, the competitiveness have all ramped up in the past couple of weeks," he said. "I wish I knew what the magic button was that got pushed, but whatever it was, things have really turned around for us."
The game between the fourth-seeded Lady Crusaders and fifth-seeded Lady Bulldogs is scheduled for a 2:30 p.m. start.
Helias closed its JV season with a 45-37 victory against Rock Bridge. Taylor Koelling had 11 points for Helias.