LOCKHART – If the Pflugerville High girls basketball team thought their playoff road was going to have an easy start, they were mistaken. The Panthers got all the could handle from San Antonio Reagan in their bi-district matchup Tuesday but held on for a 62-52 win.

“We weren’t patient,” Pflugerville coach Nancy Walling said. “They got the ball and made easy baskets.”

Led by Curteisha Woods and Nneka Enemkpali the Panthers opened the game on fire. Woods knocked down a three and Enemkpali added four points to stake Pflugerville to an 11-1 lead at the 5:41 mark of the first quarter. From that point until the final whistle the Rattlers played the Panthers to a draw, but, because of their early push, Pflugerville left the Lockhart gym with the win.

“We got some turnovers on our press,” Walling said of her team’s quick start. “After that I think they were trying too hard. But they hung in there. I was proud of them. The game could have gone either way. Reagan had a good team.”

The Panthers (28-5) opened the fourth quarter with a 47-41 lead, but it was short-lived. After Woods dropped in two points to expand Pflugerville’s advantage to 49-41, the Rattlers (22-12) came storming back with six unanswered points. Taking advantage of the fact Enemkpali was on the bench with four fouls, Jessica Custer hit a basket and Marissa Rodriguez added back-to-back scores and with 4 minutes left in the game the Panther lead was 49-47.

Enemkpali (17 points, 17 rebounds, two blocks) returned to floor and the difference was immediate. She fed Itiana Taylor for a basket and provided the interior presence the Panthers were missing as Adesuwa Ebomwonyi (10 points, six rebounds, six steals) and Mooney scored on layups to push Pflugerville’s lead to 55-49 with 49 seconds left in the game. Mooney (10 points, five steals) and Woods knocked down six crucial free throws down the stretch to preserve the win for the Panthers.

“They kept their composure,” Walling added. “And they finally picked their defense.”

After their hot start the Panthers led 21-16 after one quarter. Amanda Westwood scored eight straight points for the Rattlers, helping them tied the contest at 26-26 midway through the second quarter. Woods (17 points, three rebounds) answered for the Panthers with two free throws. Dee Hyder added two more charity shots for Pflugerville to give them a 30-26 lead. Mooney dropped in a basket in the half’s waning moments to send the Panthers in at the break with a 32-28 lead.

Pflugerville was able to maintain and expand its lead through the third quarter. Enemkpali and Ebomwonyi dominated the paint and when Ebomwonyi capped a 5-0 Panther run, Pflugerville’s lead was 45-36. The Rattlers fought back with a 5-0 run of their own, but Ebomwonyi ended the quarter with two free throws to give the Panthers a six-point lead as they entered the final quarter.

Westwood led all scorers with 21 points. Rodriguez added 16 and Kuster chipped in 12 for Reagan.