The Mathews High School varsity girls’ basketball season came to an abrupt end last Thursday night, as the Lady Blue Devils fell to the Lancaster Red Devils in the Region A, Division 2 semifinals, 60-38.

Lancaster went on to defeat Northumberland, 45-44, for the regional title; the Red Devils will play Clarke County on Friday night in the first round of the state playoffs.

After dropping their previous two contests against Lancaster, the MHS girls knew the visitors’ fast-paced offense and full-court trapping defense would be a tough match for them. Lancaster opened the game with that mentality and the Blue Devils fell behind quickly, trailing by as many as 17 points in the second quarter.

However, Mathews continued to fight back to cut the lead to only five by halftime, 28-23. With the support of the home crowd, Mathews played hard but could erode the Lancaster lead. In the final quarter, Lancaster pulled away to win by 22 points.

In their final...