PORT ORANGE — Spruce Creek made its run.

The Hawks scored 11 of the game’s last 14 points against Lake Mary in the Region 1-7A quarterfinals Wednesday. But it wasn’t enough after they dropped too far into an early hole and fell 42-37.

“At the end of the day, we had been playing well the last few games, and today, we didn’t come to play,” coach Kelvin Hamm said. “We played like this wasn’t the last game. And I just kept preaching, ‘This could be your last game. This could be your last game.’ We just didn’t come to play.”

The two teams matched up last Friday in the District 2-7A finals at Lake Mary. Spruce Creek breezed to a 70-44 victory for its sixth straight district championship and wrapped up the region’s third seed.

Wednesday, with the game on the Hawks’ home court, the sixth-seeded Rams flipped the momentum immediately. They used three offensive rebounds on their first possession to finally hit an open 3-pointer.

They led the rest of the game.

Lake Mary notched the first five points and held a 16-4 lead after one.

The margin remained roughly the same through the second and third quarters.

During the stretch, senior Yanija Lawson and sophomore Kailani Merrell provided most of Spruce Creek’s offensive production. They combined for the Hawks’ first 12 points, 22 of their first 24 and 28 of their 37 overall. Lawson finished with a team-best 20. Merrell had eight.

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Spruce Creek kept the Rams off the scoreboard in the second quarter until the final 90 seconds while cutting its deficit to 16-10. Lake Mary tallied the final five points of the half, though, erasing the Hawks’ progress.

The closest Spruce Creek got in the third quarter was eight points (28-20). The Rams brought a 34-24 advantage into the fourth quarter.

Lake Mary opened its lead to 39-26 halfway through the period, forcing the Hawks to call a timeout. Shortly after, they kicked off their comeback attempt with a bucket by Lawson.

She added another just 13 seconds later, pulling Spruce Creek back within nine points (39-30) following a Spruce Creek steal. The Rams asked for their own timeout with three minutes left.

“It was just a sense of urgency kicking in,” Hamm said. “We just started playing hard.”

Freshman Emani Mccaskill hit two free throws to make it 39-32, but at the 1:48 mark, Tiyana Snowden sank a 3-pointer to effectively seal it.

The Hawks tacked on the last two baskets of the game — a Mccaskill three and a Lawson layup — but they ran out of time.

They closed their season with an 18-9 record.

“It was a good year,” Hamm said. “We’ve won six districts in a row and made the playoffs every year. It just is what it is. You live, and you learn. I just told my kids, ‘Remember the feeling.’”

Mainland 70, Choctawhatchee 31

Mainland is the last Volusia-Flagler girls basketball team standing this season.

Region 1-5A’s second seed crushed No. 7 Choctawhatchee at home in the first round and advanced to the regional semifinals.

The Buccaneers (15-12) will host No. 3 Rickards at 7 p.m. Monday. They have won five consecutive contests and eight of their last nine.

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St. Cloud 58, New Smyrna Beach 27

In their first state tournament appearance since 2017, the Barracudas fell to top-seeded St. Cloud in the Region 2-6A quarterfinals.

No. 8 New Smyrna Beach finished with a district championship and a 14-7 record.

Seven Rivers Christian 72, Calvary Christian 40

No. 4 Seven Rivers Christian used a 45-point first half to sprint fifth-seeded Calvary Christian in the Region 2-2A quarterfinals. The Warriors had four players pour in at least 15 points.

The Lions’ best period was the fourth when they outscored Seven Rivers Christian 9-6. They ended their year with a 14-13 record.

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Girls basketball: Mainland moves on; Spruce Creek, NSB, Calvary fall