CARY— Anytime Cary Christian needed a basket on Friday night, it was almost assured the ball was going inside to freshman center Dakota Dukes.

Dukes scored 21 points for the Knights as they held off rival Cary Academy 45-34 to remain undefeated. Going inside to Dukes was a common theme of the night, particularly in the crunch time.

Late in the fourth, a breakaway steal and lay-in by Cary Academy's Kelsey Lee cut the Chargers' deficit to six points with just under three minutes left on the clock.

Desperately needing a basket to stop the Chargers' 8-0 run, the Knights went back to what had worked all night, setting up Dukes on the low block. Dukes continued her excellence inside the paint as she calmly executed another solid post move and sank the much-needed basket for her team.

Cary Christian coach Carmen Javaux said going inside to Dukes was a calming presence for her team as the Knights stopped the Chargers' late-game comeback bid.

"It was huge for us to be able stay composed. This is a group of sophomores and freshmen that is playing really good, composed ball right now," Javaux said.

Dukes has now scored 40 points in her last two games.

"My team definitely helps me out a lot," Dukes said. "I had so many assists from [my teammates] and just how they were able to see the court helps me get it done."

In the previous match-up between these two teams, the Knights (9-0) had to rally to come back and win 47-45. This time however, it was the Chargers that had to play catch-up at home.

Early in the second half, it wasn't Dukes, but Savannah Lagaly who packed the scoring punch.

Lagaly swished three of her four first-half 3-point attempts, all from well beyond the line to help the Lady Knights lead 27-19 at half.

Lagaly's range forced Chargers defenders to shadow her in the second half, which stretched its defense thin and allowed Dukes to succeed.

"It helped a lot. Once she starts shooting, the defense will collapse on her and then I'm open," Dukes said. "Then if I start shooting it opens her up."

Lagaly knocked down another 3-point bomb in the second half and finished with 11 points for the Knights.

The Chargers (6-4) were led in points and toughness by senior Dara Brown, who had 13 points and re-entered the game with a tissue in her right nostril after suffering a nosebleed in the second half.

Although Brown scored in the paint like a post player, she drifted out to pressure Cary Christian's point guard Abby Pettit in the second half. That strategy nearly worked late.

Soon after Dukes' basket ended the Chargers' fourth-quarter run, Brown collected a steal and headed for the open court. Instead of cutting the lead back down to six with two minutes left however, junior Brittany Lord, the Lady Knights' oldest player, knocked the ball away from Brown to preserve the lead and the win.

"We stayed in there and stayed strong and our coach really encouraged us. All our team members really love each other so we all help each other out to push through," Dukes said. "It feels awesome, incredible. There was a lot of intensity and emotion — it was a great win."