PHOTOS BY RICHARD AKRIDGE Junior post Lauren Barlow drives to the basket during Tuesday's 43-39 loss to Comanche in the home opener. Barlow finished the game with a team-high 10 points. The Lady Badgers return to the court tonight against Brownwood at 8:30 p.m. in Bozarth-Fowler Gymnasium. It is easy to see why Stuart Beckwith is excited about his team's performance.

After scoring a total of 18 points through the first 24 minutes, the Lady Badgers finally found their stroke in the closing quarter, giving themselves a chance to win down the stretch and nearly climbing all the way out of a 10-point hole.

Unfortunately, four potential game-tying 3-pointers clanged off the rim in the final minute of play, and Lampasas lost to Comanche 43-39 following Ashley Roberts' victory-clinching free throw.

While the four-point loss in their home opener was not the outcome the Lady Badgers (0-3) hoped for, the furious fourthquarter rally showed Beckwith exactly what his girls are capable of.

"We had a solid six minutes of basketball [at the end]," head coach Beckwith said. "It wasn't just one or two kids, it was five, six or seven kids who were able to maintain and get some good things going for us.

Marisa Borgart elevates for a layup against Comanche. The sophomore finished the game with four points. "On any night, one of them can step up and be a hero."

On Tuesday, four had the opportunity.

Kayla Lowery, Makayla Valles, Sarah Bishop and Ashley Lowery all took turns at a tie from behind the arc before Comanche sealed the victory, but the game was not lost in the final minute; it was lost in the first three quarters.

After taking a two-point advantage into the second period, the Lady Badgers went cold, scoring just four and five points in the subsequent two quarters, allowing Comanche (2-1) to build its biggest lead of the game heading into the fourth.

"[Comanche is] a nice team, they're a solid team, but what happened to us was definitely self-inflicted," Beckwith said. "We were getting the shots we wanted, we just weren't hitting them."

The Lady Badgers took a total of 59 shots, connecting on just 16 attempts with eight coming in the team's turnaround fourth quarter. Lampasas scored 21 points in the final period.

In all, 10 players got into the scorebook, with junior post Lauren Barlow posting a team-high 10 points, while Bishop finished with six. Sophomores Marisa Bogart and Madison Morris scored four points apiece, but it was the underclassmen's defensive tenacity that had Beckwith feeling good about the future.

Bogart tallied a steal and all four of her points in a short stretch during the fourth, while Morris recorded a pair of blocks early in the contest.

"Our young kids were very exciting," the coach said. "Morris showed her athletic ability, and if we can just keep her aggressive like that then she's going to keep getting better and better."

Coupled with the poor overall field-goal percentage, the Lady Badgers committed 24 costly turnovers that certainly did not make things any easier for the team.

Lampasas will look to correct the flaws that burdened them against Comanche tonight when it hosts Brownwood.

Due to a Brownwood volleyball playoff game, the start times have been changed. The freshman game is set for 6:30 p.m. with the junior varsity team following at 7:30 p.m. The Lady Badgers' varsity squad will take the court at 8:30 p.m.