TYLER - For the first four minutes, it appeared the Lady Panthers were on their way to another ho-hum, poor foe drumming. That was before the Lady Hornets Alex Furr decided to show a little offense of her own once again. But the Lady Panthers, who received an opening-round bye, took control in the final quarter to beat Athens, 61-52, in a Class 3A area playoff Friday night at UT Tyler's Herrington Patriot Center The win marked the 100th career win for head coach Greg Gay. After leading 7-0, the Lady Hornets shot 3-pointers to get back into the game. Furr sank two, and teammate, Ashley Jacks narrowed the lead to 11-10. Another Furr-three, and Athens took the lead for the next two and one-half quarters. Bullard trailed the upset-minded Lady Hornets by doublefigures in the opening half, but went on a 10-2 run to begin the fourth period. That gave the Lady Panthers a 53-45 lead with less than four minutes remaining, an advantage they never give-in. Bullard forward Danielle Heithoff took control of the paint in the fourth, scoring multiple times on putbacks to finish with 25 points and 11 rebounds. Lady Panthers senior forward Calli Miller finished with 19 points and seven rebounds, and junior guard Ashley Ricci contributed nine points and nine boards. Furr scored 15 points in the first nine minutes, helping the Lady Hornets go in front 20-13 with 7:07 remaining in the second quarter. The junior finished with a game-high 30 points, most of which came on isolation attempts at the perimeter. Teammate Ashley Jacks drained a 3-pointer for a 30-20 lead about three minutes later, but Bullard rallied to make it a three-point game at halftime. In the second half, neither team could seize control until the Lady Panthers outscored the Lady Hornets 19-9 in the fourth. Freshman guard Minta Spears was well below her average in points but her defense on Furr the final half was a difference maker as well as her consistent feeds inside for easy Bullard buckets. Bullard (31-3), the second-ranked team in the state, advances to the regional quarterfinals, where it will meet fourth-ranked Waco Robinson at 6 p.m. Tuesday in Centerville. Athens, meanwhile, finishes the year 20-11. Bullard freshman, Minta Spears went heads up against Alex Furr in the area playoff on Friday night. Furr had her way in the first half with 17 points until Spears took the defensive responsibility, and the momentum quickly changed for the win.Ashley Ricci and Danielle Heithoff clamp down on the defense against the Lady Hornets of Athens in a area round win, 61-52 to advance in the Class 3A state playoffs.The win for the Lady Panthers marked the 100th career win for Head Coach Greg Gay. Bullard advances to play 4th-ranked Waco-Robinson. Class 3A Area Playoff At UT Tyler's Herrington Patriot Center Bullard 61, Athens 52 Athens 11 19 12 19 - 52 Bullard 15 18 10 9 - 61 ATHENS - Alex Furr, 30; Kema Jordan, 9; Bailey Starkes, 2; Jasmine Blakemore, 3; Ashely Jacks, 8. BULLARD - Calli Miller, 19; Danielle Heithoff, 25; Ally Covalt, 1; Christina Hatten, 3; Ashley Ricci, 9; Minta Spears, 2; Kayla Welling, 2. THREE POINT GOALS - A: Furr (6), Jacks (2), Blakemore. B: Ricci, Hatten. RECORDS - Athens 20-11; Bullard 31-3. NEXT UP - No. 2 Bullard vs. No. 4 Waco Robinson, 6 p.m. Tuesday, Centerville.