The Class 6-A Lady Saints of Selma improved to 18-1 and 5-0 in area play with a 70-54 win over visiting Jeff Davis Friday night.

The Lady Saints got off to a slow and sloppy start against the Volunteers, leading 15-7 after the first period, and had to scrap all night to put the Montgomery squad away.

After sensational freshman Erica Lumpkin entered the game, she ignited the Saint offense by burying back-to-back 3-pointers that gave Selma a 26-12 lead midway through the second quarter.

The Vols’ Ashley McCullough and Brittany Thomas combined for 9 points in a 14-5 run to cut the Saint lead to 32-26 at the half.

The two athletic teams battled to a standstill in the third quarter, with neither team able to seize momentum.

When Thomas stole an inbounds pass and drilled a baseline jumper, the Vols seemed poised to knock off the Saints and trailed only 57-52 with 3:05 to play.

On Jeff Davis’s next possession, defensive stopper Tyease Jones forced Thomas into a five second violation and the Vols would not score a point the rest of the way.

Lumpkin led a balanced effort with 21 points and 9 boards.

Kim Wilson scored 19 points and hauled down 7 rebounds, while an injured Santana Seay limped to 15 points, 8 rebounds, and 5 assists.

Shameka Simpson added 8 points and Ashley Green dished out 9 assists.

For the Vols, McCullough scorched the nets for 20 points, with four 3’s and Thomas added 13 on the night.

The Lady Saints continue their trek to an area crown at Lee-Montgomery Tuesday night.