The Mathews High School varsity girls’ basketball season came to an end Monday night, as the Lady Devils lost in the opening round of the VHSL Region 1A tournament to the host Northampton Yellow Jackets, 48-45.

The MHS girls had an 11-point lead at one point in the first half, but came out a little flat in the third and weren’t able to stop the Yellow Jackets’ main shooter. Mathews never stopped trying and it was a back-and-forth game all the way to the final buzzer. In spite of falling in the regional quarterfinals, the Lady Devils played well all season, making it further in post-season play than many expected.

Joice Small was the top scorer for Mathews on Monday night with 15 points. Also contributing to the point total were Stacie Thomas (nine points), Abbie Hudgins (eight points), Kayla Carr (seven points), Connie Johnson (three points) and Hannah Robins (two points).

“Last night, our season came to an unfortunate end,” head coach C.K. Ambrose wrot...