ARLINGTON — The lady Eagles started fast and held off the Wildcats of Oak Harbor 54-50 in a Wesco North win Jan. 4

“I was really worried when they got to 50,” said senior post Ginny Wilson.

Arlington led 51-41 just two minutes inside the fourth quarter, but then went scoreless for nearly five minutes, allowing Oak Harbor to whittle the lead down to one with 28.5 seconds remaining.

Stefanie Schmuck hit a free throw to give the Eagles a two-point cushion before Megan Abdo grabbed a key rebound off an errant Oak Harbor shot on the ensuing possession. She then sank two free throws with 14 seconds remaining to put the game out of reach.

“They’re scrappy,” said Arlington head coach Nathan Davis. “They didn’t have a height advantage, but they beat us on the boards with just hustle.”

For the first time this season, in fact, the Eagles were out-rebounded 30-29 by a quick Wildcats team.

Wilson, who had 16 points and six rebounds led a trio of Eagle posts that were the model of efficiency. Combined with sophomores Kaiti Ferro and Schmuck, the three forwards shot 67 percent.

“They were really productive,” Davis said. “They started off slow, but worked through it and that’s kind of been our story this year.”

The Eagles, who have won four in a row and five of their last six, needed to shoot well against a team with Janelle Yoshimoto and Jessica Denmon. The two Oak Harbor guards combined for 44 of the Wildcats’ 50 points.

“We tried every kind of defense we could think of against them,” Davis said. “Denmon can just flat out shoot and Mowbray just takes it hard to the hole.”

Mowbray finished the game with 20 points and nine rebounds.

The Eagles started slow, with just six points in the first quarter, but ended up with a 26-20 halftime lead. They made a big push with 21 points in the third quarter.

“I think we’re really starting to play well as a team,” Wilson said of her team’s four-game win streak.

The Wildcats then went on a 9-0 scoring run in the fourth.

“We weren’t thinking about not scoring,” Wilson said. “Just trying to keep them from scoring.”