Friday against Grants, the Lady Eagles took care of business, at least enough to get their first District 6-4A win of the season.

Though the Eagles (6-13 overall, 1-1 in 6-4A after Friday) were never really able to pull away, they hung on for a 45-37 home win over the Lady Pirates (6-12, 0-2). The win helped the Eagles keep their hopes alive of finishing among the top teams in the four-team district, and put the burden on Grants to hold their home court when Belen travels to GHS next week.

Belen has now beaten Grants five straight times.

The Eagles were set to play at St. Pius late Tuesday after News-Bulletin press time. Belen hosts Volcano Vista on Friday at 7 p.m.

Friday, the Eagles broke out to a 14-7 lead after one quarter, with the Pirates cutting the lead to four points by halftime. Belen led by nine points at the end of three quarters.

Senior Theresa Mares led the Eagles with 12 points, including a 5-of-7 performance from the foul line, and added five assists. Nicolle Sanchez struggled from 3-point range and from the foul line, but still contributed 11 points and seven rebounds.

Belen, not typically a strong free-throw shooting team, made only 12 of its 27 attempts Friday, or 44 percent.

The Eagles didn't shoot well from the field, either (31 percent), but did grab 22 offensive rebounds. Belen doesn't have a height advantage over many teams, but Grants boasts only one player taller than 5-feet, 6-inches.

The Pirates didn't shoot any better than the Eagles. BHS had 53 total rebounds, led by 13 from Kelli Williams and 10 from Julie Baca. Brittany Meister and Sanchez each had seven boards.

Belen now turns its sights to Volcano Vista, the team that beat Belen 66-44 at Volcano in Feb. 2's district opener. The Hawks, who blew open the Feb. 2 game with a big second quarter, have decent height and speed, with an aggressive defense and outstanding passing on offense.

Volcano comes to Belen as the eighth-ranked team in the most-recent coaches association poll despite having lost its top scorer, guard Emma Fenske, to a torn ACL, very early in the season.

The Eagles play at Grants on Tuesday, Feb. 16, then wrap the regular season by hosting St. Pius on Friday, Feb. 19.