After trailing most of the game, Union Pines went on a 9-0 run, ignited by Lexie Coxe’s back-to-back three-pointers midway through the fourth quarter to move ahead of East Montgomery 37-33.

With the spark provided by junior guard Coxe, the Lady Vikings held on for a 44-36 victory at Biscoe Tuesday night.

The Union Pines win removes some of the bitter taste the Vikings experienced after falling the previous night against Terry Sanford in their season opener.

“We got off to a sloppy start, and I put the second group in and it seemed to get us refocused,” said Union Pines coach John Lewkowicz. “They really got the team fired up. We’re a young team and at times we lose our focus, but we were able to overcome that tonight.

“East played well and their point guard (Madison Crisco) is good and is very scrappy. Good point guards can really create problems for teams, and she did at times during the game. It’s good to get the first win.”

At times during the contest, it appeared the Lady Eagles would take command and seemed on the verge of turning the game into a rout. But each time, the Vikings responded with a bucket or run of their own to stay within reach of the Eagles.

The first quarter started very slow for both teams as the teams tried to figure out the other team’s defense.

The Eagles took a 6-3 lead at the end of the first period with the Vikings’ only points being scored by freshman Stephanie Johnson on a three-point play. Near the end of the opening period, Lewkowicz inserted his second unit of Reagan Molek, Rachel Breassaeale, Anna Jackson, Courtney Jackson, Samantha Ring and Bethany Daley, and the Vikings’ offense picked up as Union Pines stayed within four points of the Eagles.

Daley gave the Vikings a boost with a pair of treys, scoring six of the Vikings’ 12 second-quarter points. East also tallied 12 points during frame with Crisco scoring seven of the Eagles’ points and keeping them on top 18-15 at the break.

The Eagles continued to stay on top in the third period, taking as much as a five-point lead late in the quarter. Then Coxe hit the first of her three treys to bring her team to within two points as the third quarter ended.

The Eagles built a 33-28 lead early in the fourth quarter when Coxe hit on her back-to-back treys within 37 seconds of each other, giving her team their first lead since the opening moments of the game at 34-33.

Evans scored on a putback and Dasia McCrimmon hit on one of two foul shots, completing the Vikings’ 9-0 run. Crisco broke the Vikings’ run with a free throw, pulling the Eagles to within three points with 4:07 left in the contest. Union Pines went on to outscore the Eagles 7-2 over the final four minutes for the seven-point victory.

Coxe led the Vikings in scoring with 11 points, followed by freshman Marisa Smith with eight points, Evans seven, Daley six, Charlotte Holder six, Johnson three, McCrimmon two and Jackson two. Evans pulled down 11 rebounds while Smith had three steals to lead the team.

Crisco was the Eagles’ top scorer with 16 points, followed by Ashley Greene with six points, Hannah Watts six, Monica Kellis four and Monica Hassell two.

The Vikings get back into action Tuesday traveling to cross-county rival North Moore. The girls’ game is scheduled to start at 6 p.m., followed by the boys’ contest.

UP 3 12 11 18 — 44

EM 6 12 10 8 — 36

Union Pines: Coxe 4 0-2 11; Smith 4 0-2 8; Evans 3 1-2 7; Holder 1 4-10 6; Daley 2 0-0 6; Johnson 1 1-1 3; Jackson 1 0-0 2; McCrimmon 0 2-4 2. Totals - 16 8-21 44

East Montgomery: Crisco 4 7-8 16; Watts 3 0-0 6; Greene 3 1-2 6; Kellis 2 0-0 4; Hassell 1 0-0 2. Totals - 13 8-10 36

Three-point goals: UP 5 (Coxe 3, Daley 2); EM 2 (Crisco 1, Greene 1).