The Pike Liberal Art’s Lady Patriots cruised to an easy 59-33 win over the Southern Montgomery Academy Raiders on Thursday.

Despite the win, head coach Robert Hawkins said his team is still trying to shake away the cobwebs from Tuesday’s loss to Fort Dale.

“It was sloppy,” Hawkins said. “I was expecting that. I told the girls at halftime ‘you’re going to play sloppy games but you still have to get it done.’ They came out in the second half and played a lot better.”

The Lady Patriots and Raiders played a tight game in the opening few minutes. The Patriots jumped out to an early lead, and Regine Paker and Lauren Johnson played scored 10 of the Lady Patriots 12 first quarter points.

The Raiders trimmed the Patriot lead to three points to begin the second quarter.

The Patriots responded by going on an 11-0 run. Mya Terry and Susie Stell contributed by scoring six points. The Patriots closed out the half on a 6-0 run and entered the locker room with a 27-15 lead.

The Patriots, who have struggled with depth the majority of the season, had the opportunity to empty their bench in the second half. The Patriots went on an 11-4 run to begin the third quarter and took a 12-point lead at 45-23 into the fourth quarter.

Johnson led the Patriots in scoring with 22 points while Regine Parker finished with 16. Mya Terry had a big night for the Patriots finishing in double figures with 10.

The Patriots will have a quick turn around as they travel to play Monroe. Tip off is 6:00 p.m.