Little Rock Christian went into Wednesday night's Class 5A-Central semifinal as the conference's dominant force.
The Lady Warriors' 67-41 victory over Little Rock Parkview did nothing to alter that reality, but the Lady Patriots made host Little Rock Christian work up a first-quarter sweat.
Parkview led 8-3 after the first three minutes.
"You're never happy when you're down," said Little Rock Christian Coach Ronald Rogers, whose Lady Warriors came into Wednesday with a 12-0 record and a 37.2 average margin of victory against conference foes. "But, you know, you get to see how your kids respond to it."
Senior Wynter Rogers kept the struggling Lady Warriors afloat with eight first-quarter points, and they led 13-12 after the first eight minutes.
It wasn't until the second quarter that Little Rock Christian started to look like the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette's No. 1 team in Class 5A, and it happened quickly.
Parkview 6-1 center Tyra Robinson, a force inside early, picked up her second foul and went to the bench. The Patriots were hit with a technical foul when it was still a four-point game.
Three free throws and a three-point play after the technical put Little Rock Christian up 25-15, junior guard Ashton Elley made 3 three-point shots in the final 2:16 of the half.
Just like that, it was 38-21 Little Rock Christian.
"There may be a point where it's close," Rogers said of his team's resiliency. "Then we go off on a 13-14 point run."
Parkview Coach Lahoma Howard said her team came out strong until the foul count built to a 9-2 disadvantage for the Lady Patriots.
"That still doesn't excuse us for giving up those three-pointers," Howard said. "That was a game-changer right there."
Howard said her team, which has qualified for next week's state tournament, has to learn to battle through adversity to become a threat to teams such as Little Rock Christian.
"We've got to learn to bounce back regardless of how the referees call it," she said, pleading for consistency. "To get a little bit more mentally tough, and disregard what is called and just learn how to play through all that.
"We still just got to learn how to play. And learn how to overcome, be mature and press forward."
Wynter Rogers led the Lady Warriors with 21 points and 10 rebounds. Elley scored 11 of her 13 points in the first half. Mia Smith and Katelyn Harris combined for 19 points , including 3 three-point shots.
Junior guard Isis Isom led the Lady Patriots with 14 points, including two three-point shots. Jordan Gregory had nine points and Robinson scored seven.
Parkview's shooting didn't help its cause, hitting 12 of 40 from the floor and 12 of 20 from the foul line.
"Parkview is a dangerous team," Ronald Rogers said. "I know you look at the score ... but they've got pieces to beat you."
Little Rock Christian (21-1) plays Sylvan Hills on Friday night in a game that will determine the 5A-Central's top seed heading into next week's state tournament at Hot Springs High School.
Parkview (8-9) plays Beebe for a chance to be the conference's third seed in Hot Springs.
"Again, if you want to be the best, you've got to at least compete with the best," Howard said. "We competed for part of the game, but we've got to learn to compete for a whole game, a complete game."