A third-quarter lull cost the host Lady Greyhounds in the District 10, Region 2-AA battle.

“We always seem to struggle in the third quarter,” Wilmington coach Brandy Sanford said. “Usually, we’re able to overcome it. We just weren’t aware the third quarter. Mercer is known for sending people long for easy buckets. We stopped it 95 percent of the time, but the five percent cost us.”

Mercer (2-0, 7-3) assumed sole possession of first place in the region, while Wilmington (2-1, 8-3) dropped into second place.

“We went into the game fairly confident,” Sanford said. “We knew it was going to be a battle and it was going to be a tough game. I was pretty happy with how we played other than us not stepping up in the end and getting some steals. I just wish we would’ve been a little more aggressive defensively at the end.”

Tessa Sikora posted a game-high 19 points and Cassidy Marett was next with 11. Dakota Naples tossed in 10.

“Three days with no practice definitely played a factor into it,” Sanford said. “It’s crappy that we lost. We played hard and didn’t give up. We just weren’t able to pull it out.”

Megan McKinney led Mercer with 13, while Aubrie Angermeier had 12 and Lexi Arkwright and Adelyn Cook each had 10.

“We knew she was a 1,000-point scorer,” Sanford said of Arkwright. “If you play defense on her, you can hold her in check. With four girls in double digits, they did a good job of passing the ball around. That’s basketball. It’s a team sport and you have to defend all five.”