LEWISBURG — For the first four minutes of Thursday’s District 4 Class AAAA quarterfinal between Milton and Lewisburg, it was all defense.

The Black Panthers, missing starting guard Carrie King, leaned on the aspect of their game that’s been strongest all year long, taking away Lewisburg’s perimeter early, and the Green Dragons plugged the lanes and left Milton struggling to find inside shots.

While Milton’s defense forced Lewisburg in new directions all night long, their offense couldn’t keep up. A seven-point lead for the Green Dragons at halftime stretched to ten at the end of the third and a 13- point fourth quarter, the best-scoring frame from either side on Thursday, powered Lewisburg to the semifinals with a 35-17 win.

“I watched their Central Columbia film this afternoon, and I had an inkling with my assistant that they were going with the triangle-and-two defense to shut (Ava) Motto down,” Lewisburg coach Brent Sample said. “We didn’t really practice it, but we prepped the girls on some things we wanted to do before the game, and they really responded.”

Milton scored one bucket on a layup from Camryn Hoover to kick off the scoring and held Lewisburg to just one field goal in the first quarter, a 3-pointer from India Walker that took the score to 6-2 after eight minutes.

“The story of the game is that our defensive plan was perfect. We needed Carrie’s ball-handling and size at times to get us into our offense because you can’t score points on defense,” Milton coach Gene Bruno said. “They scored a little bit at the end, but the deal was we were going to take their best players out of it and make their other players beat us.”

With a target on the back of some of their top scorers, though, Lewisburg adapted. The Green Dragons’ offense managed to open up lanes as the game wore on, and a stifling effort on the offensive glass gave Lewisburg the second-chance opportunities it needed, led by Lauren Schwartz with eight boards.

With Teagan Osunde held to one point and Ava Motto limited to four, the Green Dragons found production in Walker, Schwartz and Addy Shedleski, who all finished with 10 points.

“We had some girls that stepped up and made some big shots,” Sample said. “Teagan and Ava took on another role tonight, and they were just really happy to see their teammates excel. It was a real team effort.”

While Milton wasn’t able to secure the playoff win it wanted for its departing seniors, Bruno felt the 2025 campaign laid a solid foundation for a young team that’s low in numbers.

“It was definitely a learning experience offensively this year, but they showed that they’re figuring it out. I was pleased with that,” he said. “My seniors gave me two good years to get us on the right track, and I think we’re still headed in the right direction.”

The Green Dragons’ goal at the beginning of the season was to play their best basketball at the end of the year, and the district win extends the Green Dragons’ streak to four. Next up, though, is a formidable top-seeded Central Columbia squad that’s yet to lose a game this season.

But, if Thursday proved anything, it’s that the Green Dragons can find production from all over the roster.

“We just have to be able to play as a team and trust in our other players,” Sample said. “It’s a total team effort, and I think they realize that. They’re super proud of each other, and tonight was really great to see.”

Lewisburg 35, Milton 17

MILTON (17)

Camryn Hoover 1 0-2 2; Jaslene Holder 2 0-2 5; Liz Schrock 3 0-0 6; Sienna Short 1 0-0 2; Lainey Snyder 1 0-0 2 Hayden Snyder 0 0-0 0. Totals: 8 0-4 17.

LEWISBURG (35)

India Walker 3 2-4 10; Ava Motto 1 1-2 4; Kennedy North 0 0-2 0; Teagan Osunde 0 1-2 1; Lauren Schwartz 3 4-4 10; Addy Shedleski 3 2-6 10. Totals 10 10-20 35.

Milton 2 4 6 5 — 17

Lewisburg 6 8 8 13 — 35

3-point goals: Milton 1 (Holder 1), Lewisburg 5 (Walker 2, Shedleski 2, Motto 1).

Records: Milton (11-12), Lewisburg (12-11).