This victory was sweet indeed.

Haley McIntyre scored 26 points and grabbed 14 rebounds, and the Meadowview Christian Lady Trojans beat an old nemesis with a 55-34 beating of the Kingwood Academy Lady Lions, Tuesday night at MCS.

The Lady Trojans (2-1) had lost five of their past six to AISA Class 2A state runner-up Kingwood dating back two seasons. This time, however, Kingwood was shut down offensively, except for Hannah Phillips. The sophomore guard scored 25 points, including a pair of three-pointers late in the third period that brought the Lions back to within 13 points at 38-25.

But Meadowview Christian opened the fourth quarter with a 9-2 run to put the game out of reach. Haley McIntyre single-handedly led the run, first with a driving layup from the left baseline. McIntyre also was fouled on the play. She converted the three-point play to put the Lady Trojans ahead, 41-27.

McIntyre followed up that with a nifty move off the baseline for a turn-around jumper from eight feet away and a 43-27 advantage. She added a pair of free-throws and a tip-in bucket to increase the MCS cushion to 20 points.

“This win feels so good,” Meadowview Christian coach Mike Cassebaum said. “Kingwood’s a very well-coached and disciplined team. Phillips is what makes it go for them. You’ve got to shut her down if you want to win.”

That’s exactly what the Lady Trojans did, for the most part. Although she managed 25 points, the talented guard did not score a point in the fourth quarter until the Lady Trojans were comfortably ahead with less than four minutes to go.

Cassebaum and the Lady Trojans entered the game with the plan to regularly substitute against Phillips. As the game went on, the Lady Trojans were able to keep a fresh defender on Phillips while she wore down.

As the final period wore on Phillips, the past week did the same to the Lady Trojans. After dropping a three-point loss to Sparta Academy last Tuesday, the Lady Trojans had a week to stew over the defeat.

“That loss left a bad taste in our mouths,” Cassebaum said. “We’ve had a whole week to think about that game.”

Since the loss, Cassebaum had his players in the gym, working diligently on rebounding and blocking out. The effort showed against Kingwood.

Along with her 10 points, Elyse McIntyre also pulled down five rebounds and dished out eight assists. Ashton Smith finished with eight points and five rebounds.

MCS led 14-11 after the first quarter, then outscored Kingwood 14-4 in the second quarter to open a 28-15 halftime lead.

The Lady Trojans will be in action again Tuesday at East Memorial beginning at 6 p.m.