AHOSKIE – Thus far it is the game of the tournament.

Defending champion Bertie High School scored in the final four seconds of their first round game to eliminate Gates County High School 55-54 in the Roanoke-Chowan News-Herald Holiday Classic sponsored by United Country Joe Murray Realty.

Ya’Shonti Bridgers scored 21 points and Montreshia Perry added 18 to lead the Lady Falcons while Deshawn Duggins paced the Red Barons with 19 while Erika Bradley had 14 and Danielle Adams had 11.

The contest was contested throughout with neither team ever able to take more than a four-point advantage. The Lady Barons led at the end of the first quarter, at intermission and at the conclusion of the third period.

Bertie, however, scored the first five points of the fourth quarter on a Monica Outlaw free throw and back-to-back hoops from Perry as they went from one point down to a four-point edge (41-37).

Gates County responded with a bucket by Duggins, but Latoya Gilliam’s free throw kept the Lady Falcons up by three.

The Lady Barons came back with an Adams hoop and two free throws by Duggins to take a 43-42 lead. The Lady Falcons then got back-to-back buckets from Bridgers and Perry to surge back ahead 46-43.

A Denene Hayer free throw and two shots from the charity stripe by Adams tied the game at 46-all with 3:15 to play. The Lady Falcons, however, used the free throw line to go back ahead with Bridgers hitting two and Perry one as they took a 49-46 edge.

Bradley had back-to-back hoops for Gates County, the last of which came at the 1:55 mark and gave the Barons a 50-49 lead.

Bertie, however, came back with a Perry hoop 50 seconds later to retake the lead. Two free throws by Adams put the Red Barons ahead 52-51, but Perry scored with 29 ticks left on the clock to give Bertie the lead.

The advantage was short-lived, however, as Hayer hit two from the charity stripe with 26 seconds to play and gave the Red Barons a 54-53 advantage.

Eboni Bond, who scored just four points in the game, had the game-winning shot with four seconds to play as the Lady Falcons survived and advanced to tonight’s (Tuesday) finals where they will attempt to win their seventh straight Classic title.

In addition to the two in double figures, the Lady Falcons got six from Ayanna Wilson, four from Bond, three from Gilliam, two from Ebonie Perry and one from Outlaw.

Others scoring for Gates included Vickie Wiggins with five, Hayer with three and Kendra Howell with two points.

The game started well for the Lady Barons with Gates County rushing out to a 6-2 lead behind two hoops from Duggins and one from Wiggins. Bertie rallied back to within one point (10-9) by the end of the quarter.

Bertie took its first lead of the game when Wilson hit the first bucket of the second quarter and the two teams exchanged the lead over the next few minutes before the Lady Barons got a hoop from Wiggins and two free throws from Adams to surge ahead 16-13.

Bridgers and Perry sandwiched two buckets around a Bradley hoop to close the Lady Falcons within one point (18-17) before a Gilliam hoop and two free throws from Bond gave the Lady Falcons a 21-18 edge.

The lead was short-lived, however, as Adams and Howell had consecutive hoops to give Gates County a 22-21 lead as the teams headed into the locker room.

The Lady Falcons again took the lead as the third quarter opened thanks to a Bridgers’ hoop, but Duggins buried a three to push Gates County ahead 25-22.

Bridgers had a free throw and Perry had a hoop to give Bertie the lead and the two teams again exchanged buckets with the Lady Barons ending up ahead 37-36 at the end of the quarter.

Gates County played in last night’s (Monday) Girl’s Consolation Game against Tar-Roanoke Conference rival Northampton County High School – East.