A Fuqua School varsity girls basketball team missing its top three players struggled in the Blue Ridge Conference tournament quarterfinals Tuesday night, falling 66-10 to its top-seeded host, Carlisle School.

The loss ended the season for the eighth-seeded Lady Falcons, who finished with a record of 5-17.

“In my opinion, we’re better than a 5-17 team,” Fuqua Head Coach Daniel Eacho said, noting he was impressed with the resolve of his players and their consistent willingness to work and improve. “I think that’s the big thing. Regardless of our record, we got better this year, and not just as a team, but every girl, individually.”

Senior forward/center Katie Haney was sidelined by a knee injury in December 2016, and sophomore guard/forward Sallie Vick injured her knee in mid-January.

Despite these significant losses, the Lady Falcons managed to put together a three-game winning streak in February, aided in part by the application of a diamond press defense that helped speed up the game.

“Anna Cyrus was probably our MVP,” Eacho said. “She was a great senior leader. She was our point guard on the floor. She did what she needed to do.”

And she had some help, as Eacho praised freshman point guard Abbie Schmidt for her early development as a leader and freshman forward/guard Carmen Reynolds for her contained aggression and standout defensive skills.