Entering Friday’s Crosstown Showdown girls basketball matchup at Eagle Gym, both Abilene High and Cooper needed a win to avoid falling into an early 0-2 hole in the District 4-5A race. And for 32 minutes, both teams played with the urgency one might expect in such a situation.

But in the end, it was the homestanding Lady Eagles who came out on top, holding off a fourth-quarter rally by the Lady Cougars to pull out a gritty 43-34 victory over their rivals.

The win improved AHS to 11-7 overall while evening the Lady Eagles district record at 1-1 — a key development with No. 8 Lubbock Monterey set to visit on Tuesday.