HOLCOMB, Mo. -- The Neelyville Lady Tigers turned up the pressure on Campbell Tuesday night and the result was a date in the district final against rival Naylor.

Naylor defeated Senath-Hornersville in Tuesday's other semifinal 60-30.

The Lady Tigers (13-12) held an 11-point advantage at the end of each of the final three quarters of a 44-33 win, but the conclusion seemed to be far from confirmed until the Lady Camels were forced to foul in the final minute of the game.

Campbell (10-11) trailed 33-22 heading into the fourth quarter and made a brief run before the Lady Tigers sealed the win at the free throw line.

Lorin Neill knocked down a long 2-point jumper from the top of the key 2 minutes into the fourth quarter to cut the lead to 33-27 and the Lady Camels got as close as 37-32 after a fast-break layup by Chelsea Bledsoe.

"They play that 'cat-and-mouse' game to keep everything interesting, but a win is a win no matter how many points it's by. This time of year it doesn't matter," said Neelyville coach Becky Hale.

Hale said the win was crucial for the confidence of her young team.

"It's real, real good," she said. "I've got a slew of ninth and tenth graders and to be able to come in here and get to the championship game and get this experience ... we're looking to go all the way."

The Lady Tigers forced 23 turnovers in the game, a statistic that was not lost on either coach.

"I think everybody stepped up and played good defense and that's what got the points on the board for us," Hale said. "We're just moving our feet well and playing together."

"Turnovers absolutely killed us tonight," said Campbell coach Daren Ellsworth. "Credit to Neelyville because they put the pressure on us to cause the turnovers, but turnovers absolutely killed us."

The Lady Tigers led 22-11 at halftime after slowly adding to their lead throughout the second quarter. Neelyville's Chelsey Maupin scored 12 of her 21 points in the first half.

Naylor 60, Senath-H'ville 30
The top seed Lady Eagles started slowly but picked up steam in the second half to dash any hopes of a Lady Lion upset.

Senath's Katelyn Gibson put her team ahead 9-8 in the first quarter with a layup following one of four early Naylor turnovers, and the Lady Lions hung around until late in the second quarter.

Naylor (22-2) closed the first half with a 12-2 run to take a 29-18 lead into halftime.

"We looked flat and half-hearted," said Naylor coach Stephana Deckard. "Of course, halftime is a good time to fire them up and talk some sense into them. Hopefully, it's a learning experience for them," she said.

A 3-pointer by Seleena Neal pulled the Lady Lions to within a point at 17-16 around the 5 minute mark of the second quarter before the Naylor run finally took the Lady Lions out of the game.

The Lady Lions (4-17) hurt themselves by turning the ball over 22 times, mostly as a result of the Lady Eagles' trapping defense that prevented the ball from getting past midcourt.

"Their halfcourt trap gave us a little bit of trouble, but all in all I thought we played hard," said Senath-Hornersville coach Jamie Johnson. "We just had too many turnovers and their defense had a lot to do with that."

Hailee Deckard led all scorers with 24 points for Naylor, but also got her teammates involved as Cheyenne Ragsdale finished with 13 points and Cheyenne Hollowell added 10.

"Hailee does such a good job with the point guard position that she's going to penetrate and stop and dish the ball," Johnson said of the Naylor senior.

Hollowell scored six of her points in the third quarter while Ragsdale contributed eight of her 13 in the first half.

"She's harder on herself than anybody," Deckard said of Hollowell. "When she relaxed she finally put it on up there. She's so important with or without the points."

Naylor and Neelyville will meet on Friday at 6 p.m. to decide the district championship.