The Nansemond River High School girls’ basketball team has caught up to its cross-city rival at King’s Fork High School.

The Lady Bulldogs have been dominant in recent years, but a flurry of lead changes in the second half and a dramatic overtime session led to the host Lady Warriors claiming a 72-67 victory on Friday night.

“Our effort was just outstanding,” Nansemond River coach R. Calvin Mason Sr. said.

Friday’s result was in marked contrast to what happened the first time the teams faced each other this season. On Dec. 18, the host Lady Bulldogs knocked off Nansemond River 72-45.

“We were never in the game,” Mason said. “We didn’t show up.”

But Friday, he said, he saw a lot more poise from his young team.

“I thought we did a better job defensively, just keeping people in front of us,” he said.

The Lady Warriors have struggled with closing games, Mason said, a weakness that handed them a conference road loss on Tuesday against Phoebus High School.

“I’m not expecting perfection, just want them to learn from past mistakes,” Mason said.

Nansemond River appeared to do just that against King’s Fork.

Sophomore shooting guard Cassidy Simmons hit a free throw with 7.6 seconds left in regulation to force a 62-62 overtime.

After the Lady Warriors briefly fell behind, 65-64, NR freshman point guard Briana Autrey gave her team a 66-65 lead on a basket near the hoop. Junior center Sabre Clegg later made it 68-65 with a basket off an inbounds pass.

King’s Fork freshman Cam Harris hit two free throws to make the score 68-67, with 44.6 seconds remaining, but Autrey and sophomore point guard Tashira Burch went 4-for-4 from the line in the final 18 seconds to put the game out of reach.

“I think overall, we were very balanced as far as scoring,” Mason said.

Clegg ended up with 18 points, Autrey had 12 and junior forward Aneka Yelverton had 11.

Sophomore forward Amesha Miller led King’s Fork with 18 points, senior guard Imani Lewis contributed 17 points and sophomore guard Cydney Nichols had 16.

On Monday, Nansemond River (15-6, 6-3) hosts Phoebus High School, which currently holds first place alone in the Ironclad Conference, while King’s Fork (14-5, 6-3) visits Heritage High School.