Bell City broke out a new defense Monday morning to beat Oakdale 44-34 at the MLK Classic.

Head coach Tracy Fontenot decided to switch the Bruins to a 1-3-1 zone the day before the game. The Bruins kept a double-digit lead most of the second half and held the Warriors to 20.7 percent shooting over the final 16 minutes.

“I think overall, defensively, we played well,” Fontenot said. “That is the first time we have played that defense.

“Yesterday, we talked about it. We didn’t even practice. We played some zone, so we basically took and played a packed in 1-3-1. It worked out well for us. We know that is a good team we just played. They can run in transition, they can penetrate and rebound. We tried to find something that would take away most of those things.”

Oakdale got within five points on a 3-pointer by Marlee Hart with 4:23 left in the game. But the Bruins held the Warriors scoreless on their next six possessions with Mea Herpin blocking a pair of shots.

Kate Leonards drilled a three with 2:38 left to get the Bruins’ lead back to double-digits, 42-32.

Herpin led Bell City with 25 points and 11 rebounds.

“She has been playing really well the last couple of games,” Fontenot said. “She has had some tough games, but when she comes to play she can play.

“She is very athletic, moves well and can finish around the rim. She is one of those people when we are struggling, we ask her to do a little bit more.”

Bell City started the game with a 4-0 lead and didn’t give up a field goal until Akeelah Hobson’s jumper with 1:55 left in the first quarter. That cut the Bruins’ lead to 5-4. Hobson finished with 11 points.

Bell City has won 12 of its last 14 games and is ranked ninth in the Division V non-select power rankings.

“We have picked up the tempo and play a little faster at times. I have a lot of seniors (6). They know the game and what we need to do. I just think at times, we have trouble scoring. Defensively, we are always pretty solid, but we have to be able to score with it. When we do that, we are ok.”

The Bruins had trouble with turnovers (25) most of the game but won the battle on the boards, 35-16.

“We played kind of slugging at times and turn the ball over,” Fontenot said. “We hadn’t seen that press in a while.

“We kind of talked about it yesterday, but we really didn’t do a lot. We got the hang of it at the end.”