MERRY HILL – In their first meeting of the season, Lawrence Academy girl’s basketball team scored a 30-24 home win over Ridgecroft School here Tuesday night.

After a slow, deliberate first quarter that featured a pair of tie scores, both teams were knotted at 4-4 when the horn sounded after the first eight minutes of ‘action’.

Reagan King – who finished the night with 15 points to lead all scorers – gave the visiting Rams a four-point lead after scoring the first four points of quarter number-two. But Lauren Baker, playing just her fourth game since returning to the team from illness, caught fire for a pair of three-point buckets that erased the Ridgecroft advantage and staked the Warriors to their second lead of the night. Mariah James added a put back to push the Lawrence lead to 12-8 before King hit a shot that beat the buzzer and the teams exited with the Rams trailing 12-10.

Playing the opening second half in a half-court set as they had in the first, scoring was again at a premium for the two squads. Lindsey Smith’s lay-up put the Rams in a four-point hole, 14-10. After an Emma Wood Boone basket and a free throw for Brooke Rose, it was never more than a two-point lead the rest of the quarter, and the Warriors were only one point better when the horn sounded, 18-17, Lawrence.

The home team scored three quick buckets to open the fourth for a seven-point lead, 24-17. Still plodding along, Emma Lane scored her only points of the game with 2:45 left to pull the Rams within five, 24-19 – the closest they would come the rest of the night. The largest Warrior lead was 28-19 before King’s two late baskets, including a three-pointer, made for the six-point final.

LAWRENCE GIRLS   (30)

Lauren Baker-8, Lindsey Smith-8, Rebekah Goodwin-6, Lauren Smith-4, Mariah James-2, Hailey Gardner-2.

RIDGECROFT GIRLS   (24)

Reagan King-15, Emma Wood Boone-6, Emma Lane-2, Brooke Rose-1.