The No. 13 Westbrook girls basketball team took a narrow lead early and held off fourth-ranked Veribest the rest of the way Monday to secure a 51-45 win in the first of two Region II-1A semifinal games at Wylie’s Bulldog Gym.

After pushing out to a 14-12 lead at the end of the first quarter, the Lady Cats never led by more than five points until the final period. But Westbrook (25-4) kept the defending region champion Lady Falcons from ever making a significant run and made their free throws down the stretch to earn a date with No. 12 Rankin at 8 p.m. Tuesday back at Bulldog Gym for the II-1A championship.