South Forsyth coach Keith Gravitt won’t lose sleep over his team’s defense anytime soon.

The Lady War Eagles doused visiting Northview’s occasional comeback flurries  and held on for a 44-36 win Tuesday night at the Eagles Nest.

“Our girls moved the ball, broke the press, and didn’t make turnovers — it was [keyed by] our defensive intensity,” said Gravitt. “We seemed to gain a lot of energy on the ball.”

Northview rallies on both sides of halftime did little to unsettle the hosts, who surrendered the lead for a matter of seconds early in the third quarter before eventually closing out the game with little trouble.

Kirsten Ebert and Kristie Mason led the attack on offense, notching 11 and 12 points respectively.

With Northview within a point midway through the third period, Mason scored four successive points that proved a momentum swinger, helping the Lady Eagles increase their lead to 26-19 going into the fourth quarter.

But Mason, who finished with eight rebounds, wasn’t done. She hit back-to-back three pointers late to sink any chance of Northview finding a way back in.

Ebert’s scoring output, which also included a pair of three pointers, helped keep South Forsyth ahead at halftime, 15-14. Despite narrowly trailing for much of the game, Northview was mostly restricted to long-range shooting and picked up few offensive rebounds.

“As a team, we did a good job on the boards,” said Gravitt. “We made them have to get out of their comfort zone.”

Northview (boys) 65, South Forsyth 41

A win seemed within reach for South Forsyth’s boys at halftime Tuesday, but Northview dominated the third quarter and cruised to a 65-41 win at the Eagles Nest.

The War Eagles were outscored by 14 points in the third quarter after trailing 19-17 at the break.

For South coach Kevin Dankosky, it was a painful reminder of a season-long problem.

“Again, third quarter, they outscore us 23-9,” the coach said. “It’s always that third quarter that bites us in the backside.”

This time, Northview’s Jo-Ron Wright and Alex Feagler were taking the biggest chomps. The pair seemingly took it in turn to drain three-pointers in the second half.

The Eagles had a solid second quarter, outscoring their opponents 13-11 in the period to take a brief lead.

Another sign of better times ahead were the performances of sophomore post Nick Graf and senior post Tyler Landry, who finished with 10 points apiece.

“Nick’s proven he’s one of the premiere post players in Forsyth,” said Dankosky. “If we can find a way to build around those guys then I think we’ll be in good shape.”