After a slow start, the Fort Dale girls woke up and took care of business against Hooper with a 45-31 win in the regional tournament Thursday night.

The Eagles trailed by four points after one quarter and 21-19 at the half.

“Our intensity was low in the first half, but we picked it up in the second half,” said head coach William Johnson.

Part of the reason behind the slow start was probably the change in schedule.

The Fort Dale boys played at 11:30 a.m. on Thursday, but the girls didn’t take the court until 7 p.m.

“We were way out of our routine,” Johnson said. “There was nothing between the boys’ game and the girls’ game.”

The Eagles overcame foul trouble to come to life in the second half and take a 30-26 lead after three quarters before blowing it open in the fourth.

Fort Dale’s defense proved to be a key aspect of the game, holding Hooper to 10 second-half points.

Elizabeth Dunklin was the Eagles’ leading scorer with 12 points, followed closely by Lori Fail’s 11 points and 10 from Abbey Martin.

With that win, the Eagles secured a place in next week’s state tournament.

“We’ve made it to state. Now everything else is seeding,” Johnson said.

The Eagles faced off against Pike Liberal Arts last night, but results were unavailable at press time.