NEOSHO, Mo. — Just when Springdale High’s girls basketball team had lost its lead Saturday, the Lady Bulldogs gained momentum.

Springdale went on an 11-2 run after East Newton County had tied the game in the third quarter, and the Lady Red’Dogs took the Black Division third-place game with a 48-36 victory in the Neosho Holiday Classic.

Maria Perez, who scored 10 of her game-high 14 points in the second half, had a pair of buckets in the run. It helped Springdale rebuild a 29-20 cushion late in the third quarter, and the lead never dropped below six points again.

“East Newton came out in the second half and was really aggressive,” Springdale coach Heather Hunsucker said. “They were aggressive going to the basket, and that put us in a different mode, too.

“When the game picked up, we like the pace to be a little faster. It sent our kids a little sense of urgency as well.”

The Lady Red’Dogs owned a 16-4 lead on Taylor McPherson’s bucket with 1 minutes, 35 seconds before halftime, but East Newton closed out the first half with seven straight points. The Lady Patriots capped their comeback when Hailey Heilig’s 3-pointer tied the score at 18-18 with 5:25 left in the third quarter.

McPherson then hit a free throw to put Springdale ahead to stay, and Perez added a pair of buckets to make it 23-18. Baiyinnah Taylor then added four straight points after a Lady Patriot bucket, and McPherson’s two free throws made it 29-20 at the 1:55 mark.

“We started playing better at that point,” said Hunsucker, whose team led by as much as 14 points in the second half. “The game changed for us. We were able to score more points, able to get easier baskets.

“I thought our legs were the difference. I know we were tired, but I thought we looked fresh when we needed to run.”

McPherson was the only other Springdale player in double figures, finishing with 10 points. Heilig had nine points to pace East Newton.

Springdale High 48, East Newton County, Mo. 36

East Newton 0 11 11 14 — 36

Springdale 6 10 13 19 — 48

East Newton (6-6): Heilig 9, White 8, S. Thomlinson 7, W. Thomlinson 5, Brummett 2, McDermott 2, Harper 2, Brewster 1.

Springdale (5-7): Perez 14, McPherson 10, Dederich 9, Jurgens 7, Taylor 4, Wood 4.