Second-half adjustments are what win closely contested ball games.
Liberty-Eylau defeated Paris in overtime Friday at the Rader Dome, 80-77.
The Lady Leopards ability to force bad shots and backside rebounding, eventually took a toll on the Lady Cats in the extra period.
Elle Infante went coast-to-coast for Paris, pushing the game to overtime with her layup at the end of the fourth period.
L-E forced two turnovers that gave them a slight cushion, before Paris was able to tie the game at 62-all with 3:45 left in regulation.
Eliyah Howard led L-E offensively with 16 points. Teammates Skylier Bailey added 14 points, Kyla Coston 11 and Keeley Norris 10.
L-E came out of the locker rooms with a renewed focus.
The Leopards' full-court press caused turnovers, and L-E was able to turn those into positive offensive possessions.
Paris regained control before half to lead Liberty-Eylau, 37-32.
Peaches Jackson led Paris with 25 points, with 16 coming in the first half.
The Leopards won the turnover battle in the first half, forcing 12 turnovers, while only committing seven.
Liberty-Eylau cut down turnovers and beat the Paris press to take its first lead of the game, 25-23, with 3:35 remaining in the second quarter.
The Leopards clawed back at the end of the first quarter to cut their deficit to 17-13.
The Lady Cats' motion offense and zone defense flustered Liberty-Eylau in the first quarter.
Liberty-Eylau plays at North Lamar starting at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday in Paris.
Paris=17=20=12=21=7=-77
Liberty-Eylau=13=19=19=18=10-80
PARIS (77): Savage 10 1-6 22, Jackson 8 9-10 25, Infante 2 0-1 4, Crooms 7 2-5 16, McGee 3 2-2 8, Jones 1 0-0 2. TOTALS 31 14-24 77.
LIBERTY-EYLAU (80): Webster 1 0-0 2, Howard 7 2-4 16, Block 2 3-5 5, Ke. Norris 5 0-2 10, K. Bailey 2 0-0 4, Coston 4 2-2 11, George 2 1-3 6, Meadows 3 1-4 7, S. Bailey 5 1-2 14. TOTALS 31 10-22 80.
3-point goals: PARIS-Savage. LE-Bailey 3, George. Team fouls: Paris 14, Liberty-Eylau 15.