Seven Lakes had been fighting to get to this point all year.

The Spartans wanted another taste at the regional tournament, another chance to do what they couldn’t two years ago and another chance to make history for the school.

The Spartans had a chance to get back to that point on Tuesday night and they didn’t let it slip, outlasting Fort Bend Austin in the regional quarterfinals 81-74 at the Campbell Center in Aldine.

“I’m just so proud of all of these girls,” said senior forward Justice Carlton. “I was in foul trouble but they all stepped up and played their part which is exactly what they’ve done all season long. It was a great game and I’m just proud of every one of those girls.”

It was a battle all night for the Spartans as they were able to reach their second regional tournament in the past three years, overcoming a halftime deficit in the process. Madison Carlton led the way with 28 points, while Justice Carlton had 24 and Shreya Jategaonkar had 11 points.

“It’s the kids, they deserve all the credit here and they’ve been amazing all year,” said Seven Lakes head coach Doug Watson. “They bought into us and they’ve played really hard. They play so well together and we’ve had contributions from a number of different girls. That’s what makes us a formidable opponent is having multiple different options.”

It was a close game from the opening tip to the final whistle, Seven Lakes led 21-20 after the first quarter but Austin came back to take a 40-34 lead at half. The Spatans made adjustments at the half though and it paid dividends. Seven lakes slowed the tempo in the second half and switched from their normal full-court trap to half court man-to-man and it took away opportunities on the fast break and from the 3-point line for Austin. The result was Seven Lakes going up by 53-48 at the end of the third quarter and holding on for the win.

“Austin can really shoot the three, so we just thought it would be better to go to the half court to help us not lose those three point shooters. The girls did a great job of it in the second half, they defended, kept their hands up and it was a lot better. We got some rebounds as well and I think it helped us.”

It’s been quite the run for the Spartans, who are now winners of 22 straight and continued to reach new heights. Now the task is to get further than the team got back in 2022, when they also reached the regional tournament. This Spartans team isn’t satisfied, they want to reach the regional final and make it to San Antonio. Seven Lakes next test will be against Summer Creek, the No. 3 ranked team in the state. The two will play Friday at the Campbell Center as both try to keep their seasons going.

“No matter who we play if we get the ball inside we’re going to be good,” said Madison Carlton. “We can play with anybody, it doesn’t matter who they have on us. We just have to keep our determination and not let anyone keep us from playing our game.”

Class 6A-Region III Quarterfinals

Seven Lakes 81, Fort Bend Austin, 74

Points: (SL) Madison Carlton 30, Justice Carlton 25, Shreya Jategaonkar 11, Kimora Lopez 8, Lenore Hudspeth 2, Dulce Franco 2, Gracie Hobin 2; (A) Shun’Teria Anumele 23, Andrea Sturdivant 15, Crystal Schultz 13, Pfeiffer Greene 4, Aminah Dixon 4;

Halftime: Austin 40-34; Records: (SL) 30-8, (A) 32-3;