Trailing by two at halftime, the Evarts Lady Cats had the look of a team in danger of becoming one of the biggest upset victims in the history of the county fifth- and sixth-grade tournament.

Evarts (20-1) turned the momentum with a 12-4 run in the third quarter on the way to a 41-28 win over Cawood in the championship game Thursday at James A. Cawood Elementary School.

The Lady Cats’ decisive run continued with star guard Kylie Noe on the bench after drawing a hard foul on a shot attempt with 4:44 left in the third quarter. Baskets by Noe and Ashley Preston put Evarts up by two before Noe went out. Preston and Drucilla Brown hit clutch 3-pointers as Evarts built a six-point advantage by the end of the period.

“Drucilla really stepped up and played well for us tonight. Ashley has been a leader for us all year and also hit some big shots,” said Evarts coach Jamie Smith, who led an Evarts team to a county championship for the fourth straight season. “It was a team effort. I’m proud of all the girls. All the hard work paid off tonight.”

Noe, who played on Cawood’s county championship last season, poured in 27 points to again lead the Lady Cats, who were undefeated against county competition this season.

“Kylie has been great all year,” Smith said. “She is one of the most athletic kids I’ve ever seen at this level.”

Cheyanne Rhymer scored 19 points and Abbi Fields added nine for the Lady Comets, who fell to 13-4 overall.

Evarts grabbed an early 6-0 lead behind Noe before Rhymer closed the period with a free throw.

Cawood took over in the second quarter as coach Teddy Stephens found an effective way to attack the Evarts defense, which double teamed Fields inside, had a chaser on Rhymer and two defenders in the lane. Rhymer worked her way free several times to lead the comeback. A basket by Fields followed by two free throws and a basket by Rhymer gave the Lady Comets a 12-8 lead.

“Teddy played smart and slowed it up,” Smith said. “We wanted to surround Abbi and try to keep Rhymer out of the paint, but they attacked it real well. We knew had to do a better job of getting after Rhymer in the second half.”

A three-point play by Noe helped Evarts pull within two by the end of the first half.

Evarts turned the momentum in the third quarter by turning up the pressure on Rhymer, often double teaming both her and Fields. A basket by Noe and 3-pointer from Preston pushed the lead to 14 early in the fourth quarter.

“I don’t think many folks even gave us a chance to keep it close. They beat us by 20 at home and 25 at Evarts,” Stephens said. “I want my players to know how proud I am of their effort tonight. My girls played their tails off and left it all on the court.”

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Led by a 13-point performance from Leah Davis, James A. Cawood claimed third place in the tournament with a 33-21 win over Rosspoint in the opening game Thursday.

The Trojanettes took control early, grabbing a 12-2 lead after one period as Davis scored five points. Davis, Jaiden Marlow and Madison Daniels each had baskets as the JACES lead grew to 20-7 by halftime.

Harleigh Vanover led Rosspoint with seven points.

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Evarts (41) — Kylie Noe 27, Ashley Preston 8, Drucilla Brown 6.

Cawood (28) — Cheyanne Rhymer 19, Abbi Fields 9.

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James A. Cawood (33) — Leah Davis 13, Madison Daniels 7, Juleaa Smith 2, Peyton Lunsford 1, Alley Stewart 1, Kaylissa Daniels 2, Jaiden Marlow 5, Lacey Robinson 2.

Rosspoint (21) — Lindsey Skidmore 4, Brianna Howard 3, Kaitlyn Daniels 5, Mallory Long 2, Harleigh Vanover 7.