The King’s Fork girls’ basketball team took a step closer to being back in pre-Christmas form with a 62-40 win over host Deep Creek on Friday.

Junior power forward/center Khadedra Croker had her fourth triple-double of the season with 18 points, 12 rebounds and 10 blocks.

The Lady Bulldogs had suffered their first district loss of the season Thursday night to Grassfield, making only 10 field goals all game long. They showed marked improvement in this regard against Deep Creek.

“We actually made 24 baskets from the floor, so that’s definitely a plus from (Thursday) night,” KF head coach Maurice Fofana said.

Fofana saw progress overall, but still did not think his team was back to where it was before the break for Christmas.

“I think we’re still a little out of sync,” he said. “It’ll probably take another game or two.”

The King’s Fork defense met the standard that has been set for it, however.

“Forty is usually where we look to keep our opponents to,” he said.

KF also did a good job pushing the ball up the court. The quicker pace helped the offense, as nearly five players ended up in double figures.

Senior wing Chantel Roberts produced 11 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists, senior wing Adrieanna McCrary added 11 points, senior small forward Julissa Riddick had 10 and junior point guard Brittany Alston chipped in nine points and four assists.

Fofana noted some things he wants his team to carry forward into the rest of the season.

“Just the intensity that we started out with and the style of play that we like to play,” he said. “We’re going to have to dictate every game that we win.”

The Lady Bulldogs (12-2, 9-1) are in a three-way tie with Grassfield and Western Branch for first place in the Southeastern District. They will play three times this coming week, starting on the road Tuesday against Nansemond River, returning home versus Great Bridge on Thursday, and ending on the road Friday against Western Branch.