The path to getting better, AKA progress, AKA improvement, most often features a series of hurdles.

For the St. Regis girls basketball team, one of those hurdles came to town in the form of the Charlo Lady Vikings, who upended the home team Lady Tigers 40-25 Friday night.

In recent years, Charlo has clearly been the better team, winning games against St. Regis’ girls by large margins, be it at home or on the road.

But Friday night had a different feel as this 2021-22 season reaches the Christmas break.

Granted, Charlo came to town and once again left town with a win by a comfortable margin.

But this Lady Tigers team made them earn it in a way not seen for the past few years.

The first quarter of play was a harbinger of things to come in this battle of Western 14C opponents. Both teams played smothering defense as the score reached a minuscule 5-2 after eight minutes of rapid play on the St. Regis hardwoods.

The Tigers’ only points in the opening eight minutes of play came on a put-back basket from inside the key by 5-10 sophomore Avery Burnham, who’s inside scoring and rebounding have been key to the early success the Lady Tigers have experienced.

However, as would be the case throughout the game, every St. Regis run or basket was offset by the tenacious play of Charlo junior Mila Hawk, whose floor leadership kept the visitors' high octane style of play going full speed.

Hawk’s aggressive play, which at one point prompted a warning from the referee during what could have been a flashpoint for the tense on-court action, allowed her to come up with six steals and seven assists during the contest.

The second quarter opened with Burnham scoring again from deep in the key, pulling St. Regis within a basket. However, the Hawk-led Charlo defense put the clamps down on the Tigers’ efforts and went on to take a 15-6 lead at halftime.

St. Regis would make several second half runs at the Charlo lead and at one point pulled within seven as the third quarter came to an end.

The Lady Tigers, however, could not quite get over the hurdle put in their way by the aggressive Charlo defense as the Lady Vikings crafted a 15-7 scoring advantage in the final eight minutes of play to sew up their fourth victory of the year.

The loss squared St. Regis’ overall season mark at 3-3 and their 14C record at 2-2 as the Lady Tigers wrapped up play until after the New Year.

Senior forward Cassie Cox led the Lady Vikings with a game-high 15 points. No one else on either team scored in double figures.

While they will continue to practice during the two-week holiday break, St. Regis will not resume game play until January 6 when they travel down I-90 to take on Mineral County rival Superior. They then return home the next evening for another conference game against Hot Springs.