Gilmer Lady Buckeyes Coach Mandi Simpson talks to her team during a timeout in the fourth quarter of their Class 4A area girls basketball playoff game on Friday at C.L. Nix Wildcat Arena in Whitehouse.

SULPHUR SPRINGS — Gilmer and Paris split two competitive District 15-4A meetings during the 2021-2022 girls basketball regular season, and added another thrilling chapter during Tuesday night’s Class 4A Region II quarterfinal at Sulphur Springs High School.

The Gilmer Lady Buckeyes led by as much as nine points in the third quarter and eight points in the fourth quarter before a late Paris surge resulted in Jakiya Williams’ buzzer-beating basket and a 45-44 Ladycat victory.

Paris improved its season record to 22-12 as it prepares for this week’s regional semifinal against Dallas Lincoln at Texas A&M University-Commerce, while Gilmer finishes its campaign with a 28-7 mark.

“Simple mistakes that we’ve been preaching about all year,” Gilmer girls basketball head coach Mandi Simpson said of the disappointing final few minutes of her team’s playoff loss. “We turned it over four [possessions] in a row, and we didn’t get a rebound at the end.”

The teams traded leads throughout the game’s opening quarter before Keshanti Gordon and Jazz Dangerfield provided Paris with a pair of last minute three-pointers to make it a 12-9 Ladycat advantage at the end of the period.

Paris added a 6-2 start to the second quarter to expand its led to 18-11 with 5:09 remaining in the first half. Gordon provided an early field goal, and Asia Johnson and Dangerfield combined for four free throw makes.

Gordon finished the game with a Paris-best 15-point performance, while Johnson and Dangerfield provided 13 and seven points respectively.

But, Gilmer stormed back with a 15-4 run to hold a 26-22 lead at the halftime break. Madyson Tate led the charge with four points, Addison Walker, Jaycee Harris and Makenna Kaunitz all provided three points, and Addisyn Montgomery earned two points.

Tate reached double-digit scoring with an early third quarter three-pointer, and her successful shot attempt with four minutes remaining in the frame gave Gilmer the largest lead of the game at 31-22. She finished with a game-high 17 points, while Walker and Kaunitz followed with nine and seven points.

Lesley Jones’ back-to-back field goals helped the Lady Buckeyes maintain their nine-point lead, but Paris ended the third quarter on a 5-0 run to only trail 35-31 heading into the game’s final period.

Dangerfield’s field goal and Johnson’s back-to-back successful free throw attempts outmatched Tate’s early field goal to cut Gilmer’s lead to 37-35 with 6:14 to play.

Gilmer responded with a 7-1 run to build up a 44-36 advantage. Walker guided the surge with three points, and both Tate and Abbey Bradshaw provided two points to top Gordon’s lone point of the stretch. But, it wouldn’t be enough.

The final nine points of the event came from Paris, who came from behind to earn the victory. Jakiya Williams scored four of her five points in the game during the stretch to lead the Ladycats. Gordon also provided a three-pointer, and Johnson earned her final two points.