SULPHUR — No size, no problem.

The Sulphur Lady Tors used early sizzling shooting and some clutch defense and free-throw shooting down the stretch to hang on for a 71-69 win over Ouachita in the Class 5A quarterfinals Monday night.

Sulphur (27-3) will face No. 2 seed Natchitoches Central in the semfinals.

The Tors had problems stopping Ouachita (33-3) center Kevione Moten, who at 6-feet-4 towered over the smaller Tors, who started no one taller than 5-10.

Moten scored 31 points on 13-of-14 shooting and grabbed 13 rebounds, but the Tors responded with a barrage of jumpers, making 18 of 33 field goal attempts over the first three quarters. Sulphur never trailed after taking a 9-8 lead midway through the first quarter on a drive by Hannah Cupit.

Sulphur stretched the lead to eight points at halftime and as many as 13 in the third quarter. Ouachita started the fourth quarter with a 12-3 run to get within 59-58 with 3:55 left. Over the remainder of the game, the Lions had the ball with a chance to take the lead four times, but the Tors stopped them every time. Ally Cupit drained a 3-pointer from the left baseline with 1:47 left to make it a two-possession game at 64-60.

Ouachita’s T’Erika Bell banked in a runner to cut the lead to two, but the Tors made four straight free throws to extend the lead to six. Ouachita never got closer than four the rest of the way until Nakalia Woods made a 3-pointer at the buzzer.

Hannah Cupit led Sulphur with 25 points, including nine in the fourth quarter. Ally Cupit scored 17, Kristina Metoyer had 14 and Becca Brooks scored 10.

“It was a good game, Ally was hitting shots, Becca was hitting shots, it wasn’t me, it was our team,” Hannah Cupit said. “It was tough trying to shoot over (Moten). It feels great to win my last game here, I was nervous at first.”

Hannah Cupit made 5 of 6 free throws in the last 1:11 after missing 3 of 4 early in the quarter.

“It was a little easier when I knew I had two,” she said. “I had been struggling before that.”

Ouachita had trouble getting offense from anyone besides Moten over the first three quarters, when she scored 24 of the team’s 44.

The Lions scored 25 in the final quarter, with Bell and Woods combining for 14 points in the quarter.

“They picked up their pressure, which we knew they would,” said Tors head coach Helen LeFevre. “Handling that pressure was tough to do. When we had the lead in the fourth quarter, a couple of times our shot selection was not great. Thank goodness we can shoot free throws.”

LeFevre said her post players, junior Metoyer and sophomore Lauren Pace, did not back down against Moten.

“They weren’t intimidated. We had some defenses, we were going to try to sandwich her, but she still getting the ball and when she got it, she finished it. She is a good player.”

Boys Quarterfinal Pairings

Class 5A

No. 8 East St. John at No. 1 Ouachita

No. 5 Brother Martin at No. 4 East Ascension

No. 3 Comeaux at No. 22 Archbishop Rummel

No. 2 Scotlandville at No. 10 Ruston

Class 4A

No. 8 O.P. Walker at No. 1 Peabody

No. 5 East Jefferson at No. 4 Northside

No. 3 Alexandria at No. 11 Istrouma

No. 7 St. Augustine at No. 2 St. Thomas More

Class 3A

No. 9 Glen Oaks at No. 1 Bossier

No. 5 Brusly at No. 4 Carroll

No. 3 Farmerville at No. 11 Amite

No. 2 Richwood at No. 23 Parkview Baptist

Class 2A

No. 8 Winnfield at No. 17 Episcopal

No. 5 Ville Platte at No. 4 St. Thomas Aquinas

No. 6 John Curtis at No. 3 Riverside

No. 10 Lakeview at No. 2 University Lab

Class 1A

No. 8 Houma Christian at No. 1 Christian Life

No. 21 White Castle at No. 4 Country Day

No. 6 Delhi at No. 3 North Central

No. 2 Central Catholic at No. 7 Arcadia

Class B

No. 8 Zwolle at No. 1 Madison Prep

No. 4 Castor at No. 12 Coudrant

No. 6 Midland at No. 3 Simsboro, 6 p.m. Tuesday

No. 2 Fairview at No. 7 Anacoco, 6:30 p.m. Tuesday

Class C

No. 8 Pleasant Hill at No. 1 Atlanta

No. 4 Sicily Island at No. 21 Dubach

No. 6 Family Christian at No. 3 New Living Word

No. 7 Reeves at No. 2 Pelican, 6:30 p.m. Tuesday

Girls Semifinals Pairings

Thursday-Saturday

Class 5A

No. 1 Southwood vs. No. 5 Denham Springs

No. 2 Natchitoches Central vs. No. 6 Sulphur

Class 4A

No. 1 Warren Easton vs. No. 5 St. Thomas More

No. 2 St. Michael vs. No. 3 Vandebilt Catholic

Class 3A

No. 1 Albany vs. No. 5 Rayville

No. 2 Baker vs. No. 6 Abbeville

Class 2A

No. 1 University vs. No. 4 John Curtis

No. 2 St. Thomas Aquinas vs. No. 3 Pickering

Class 1A

No. 1 West St. John vs. No. 4 Central Catholic

No. 2 Vermilion Catholic vs. No. 3 North Central

Class B

No. 1 Lacassine vs. No. 4 Hathaway

No. 2 Fairview vs. No. 3 Florien

Class C

No. 1 Pelican vs. No. 4 Saline

No. 2 Dubach vs. No. 3 Plainview

Players

(MGNonline)