FERRIDAY — A breather was just what the Ferriday High School varsity girls needed after being flooded with a tough schedule to start the season.

The Lady Trojans easily handled the Franklin Parish varsity girls Tuesday, winning 54-37 to improve to 4-8 on the season.

Ferriday head coach Lisa Abrams said Tuesday’s win was an important one in light of her team’s recent struggles.

“We had a seven-game losing streak going at one point,” Abrams said. “We’re a tough team and a young team. We have just two or three seniors that have playing experience.

“We’ve played a tough schedule, and I’ve been telling them not to give up. When district play rolls around, we’ll need to be able to respond to adversity.”

Ferriday led 16-10 after the first quarter. The Lady Trojans began to pull away in the second quarter, tallying 16 points while holding Franklin Parish to nine.

With a 32-19 lead at intermission, the Lady Trojans continued to pile on the points in the third quarter. Ferriday went on a 14-0 run to start the third before Franklin Parish finally hit a basket with 3:35 to go in the quarter.

T’Keyah Fletcher scored six of her 13 points in the third. Leading scorer Chanta Poole scored four points in the third before leaving the game after getting tripped up and hitting the floor hard. She finished with 16 points.

“She’s OK as far as the injury,” Abrams said. “She’s a tough player, and probably one of the best guards in the area. We’ve played some good competition recently, and I haven’t seen anyone that can guard her.

“She had a phenomenal game, and she’s really stepping up as a leader, it being her senior year. She’s doing what she’s been asked, and everyone knows she’s our go-to person. We want the ball to be in her hands.”

The referees let the clock run in the fourth quarter while Abrams played her backups. They tallied just six points while allowing 13.

“It was very important for them to get those minutes,” Abrams said of her backups. “They’re going to need those minutes later on down the road.

“It was good to sub them in so they could get that playing time. This is our first game that we’ve had a comfortable lead to allow them to do that. All of our games have been close lately.”

Abrams also said she was pleased with how her players took advantage of their conditioning on the court tonight.

“We came out with a lot of energy, and our pressured defense worked well,” Abrams said. “I think we were in a little better shape than them. It looked like they got a little tired, and I told my girls to take advantage of that.”

Ferriday will host Vidalia at 6 p.m. Thursday.