Thanks to their ability to come from behind, the Pepperell girls are staying ahead in 7-AA South.

The No. 9-ranked Lady Dragons won their ninth straight game Tuesday night when they overcame a 10-point third-quarter deficit and earned a 53-45 victory over Armuchee.

The win was Pepperell’s third against Armuchee this season, and it enabled the Lady Dragons (15-1, 6-0) to maintain a two-game lead in the subregion standings with just four 7-AA games remaining on their schedule.

Monea Ware scored a game-high 24 points, Anna Baker added 10 and Frances Rhyne pulled down 10 rebounds for the Lady Dragons, who have shown a penchant for comeback wins this season.

“Our team has a lot of heart and we really play together, even when we get behind,” said Ware. “And tonight, we just kept playing hard. This was a really big win.”

Throughout their winning streak, the Lady Dragons have often demonstrated a high-caliber fight mechanism, which kicks in whenever they seem headed for a loss.

“The thing about this team is just that we don’t ever give up,” said Pepperell guard Jeni Cheeks. “We just keep getting after it, like we did tonight.”

The Lady Dragons trailed 31-21 midway through the third quarter before ripping off a 9-0 run to close the gap to 31-30. Ware scored seven points during the surge.

Armuchee eventually rebuilt the lead to 39-35 early in the fourth quarter, but Pepperell again rallied, closing the game with an 18-6 run.

A three-pointer by Cheeks ignited the late run, and Rhyne soon added a crucial basket to give Pepperell a 42-39 lead with 3:55 to go. Ware then carried the load the rest of the way, scoring eight points in the final 2:39. She finished 6-of-6 at the foul line in the fourth quarter, and was 10-of-13 from the line overall.

“We just had no answer for her in the second half,” said Armuchee coach Tammy Norred. “I felt like we did a pretty good job of defending her in the first half, but once Sarah (Barnett) got in foul trouble, the game really turned.”

Pepperell finished 16-of-20 at the foul line, including going 11-of-12 during the big rally in the final eight minutes.

“The girls really showed a lot of character,” said Pepperell coach Jeff Rickman. “We were very close to getting blown out of the water in the third quarter, but our kids fought back and got a big win.”

Armuchee’s Kelcey Akridge finished with a team-high 15 points, including scoring seven straight during an 90-second flurry in the third quarter.

Abby Monteith added 13 points, and Christina Nixon had six points and a team-high 12 rebounds.

But aside from those three players, the Armuchee offense generated just 11 points.

“Again tonight, inconsistency was our problem,” said Norred. “We played well in stretches, but we still can’t put 32 minutes together.”

Both Armuchee and Pepperell play make-up games Thursday night. The Lady Dragons go to Chattooga for a 7-AA crossover game, and the Lady Indians visit Temple in a subregion contest.

PEPPERELL (53)

Monea Ware 24, Anna Baker 10, Jeni Cheeks 6, Frances Rhyne 6, Kiara Parks 5, Cassadee Ainsworth 2.

ARMUCHEE (45)

Kelcey Ackridge 15, Abby Monteith 13, Christina Nixon 6, Sarah Barnett 6, Allie Durall 3, Jessica Beaver 2.

Pepperell 12 8 11 22 — 53

Armuchee 15 5 14 11 — 45

3-Pointers — Pepperell 3 (Baker 2, Cheeks 1); Armuchee 2 (Durall 1, Nixon 1). Free throws — Pepperell 16-20; Armuchee 9-12. Records — Pepperell 15-1, 6-0; Armuchee 13-6, 3-3.