BULLARD -- Central Heights used a big fourth quarter to break open a tight game and beat Harmony 48-40 in Friday's Class 2A Region III area girls basketball playoff.

Tied 34-34 after three quarters, the Central Heights (16-10) used a 7-0 run at the beginning of the fourth to pull away.

Three consecutive steals fueled the surge. Kate Rice drained a three-pointer off a Brittany Crawford dish, then Rice returned the favor, hitting Crawford cutting to the basket for two more and a 39-34 advantage. When Brittany Johnson sank two free throws, the Lady Devils led 41-34 at the 4:53 mark. Central Heights held on from there.

Central Heights (16-10) advances to play Elysian Fields in a Tuesday evening 2A Region III quarterfinal at a site and time to be determined.

Johnson had a game-high 16 points, six assists, four rebounds, and four steals. Teammate Jodi Adkins tallied 10 points, while Katee Muckleroy had seven points, four boards, and four steals.

"I knew it was going to be a battle," said Central Heights coach Ashley Brown. "I'm glad because it can so easily go the other way. We got on that run (early in the fourth) and I think that gave us the momentum. Kudos to (Harmony). They play hard and are a great team. It can go either way. It just so happened to be our night."

Keirsten Seahorn's 12 points, seven boards, and three steals led Harmony (18-12). Jacy Lloyd and Bailey Rhodes combined for 18 points, eight rebounds, and four steals. Amy Allen added four points and six rebounds, including four offensive.

Central Heights owned the first quarter thanks to Harmony's 11 turnovers, which helped the Lady Devils build a 12-5 advantage. Central Heights staged a 10-4 run to end the first half thanks to Johnson's buzzer-beating triple for a 24-18 lead at the break.

Harmony got hot in the third quarter, scoring 16 points -- including a pair of treys by Seahorn and Lloyd. That allowed the Lady Eagles to tie the game 34-34 going to the fourth.

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