It’s the finishing it is struggling with this season.

The Lady Dragons held a 10-point lead over Escalante in a nondistrict game at Christian Life Academy on Thursday, but had to hold on for a 39-36 win.

After building a 23-15 lead at the half and getting the margin to double figures in the fourth quarter, Monte del Sol (8-7) started running out of gas. The Lady Lobos rallied and got to within two points after Anna Daggett hit a 3-pointer.

“We barely survived,” said Ralph Casaus, Lady Dragons head coach. “We’re a lot better this year, but we’re still not finishing. I don’t know if the girls are tired or what.”

Alicia Roybal wasn’t in the fourth quarter.

She scored six of her team-high 17 points in the quarter to help Monte del Sol escape. Alyssia Lujan produced a triple-double with 10 points, 12 blocks and 13 rebound.

“She did awesome with the blocks,” Casaus said of Lujan. “That helps out a lot, especially when she’s not in foul trouble.”

Santa Fe High 72, Abq. Sandia Prep 35

The Demonettes (15-0) are going against the grain. Instead of going with their starting five, they used their second unit to start the game and brought in the starters off the bench.

That changed in the second half, and Santa Fe High outscored the Lady Sundevils 24-8 to extend a 36-23 halftime lead.

Demonettes junior Jackie Martinez led all scorers with 24 points, while Kayla Herrera added 18 and Sabrina Lozada-Cabbage 14.

Española Valley 61, Rio Rancho Cleveland 51

The Lady Sundevils (14-3) navigated through foul trouble and outscored the Storm 29-17 in the fourth quarter to take a nondistrict win in Edward Medina Gymnasium.

Lauren Quintana had 13 of her 23 points in the quarter for Española, with nine of them coming from the free-throw line. She helped the Lady Sundevils to a 13-5 lead after a quarter with 10 points, but she sat the rest of the first half with three fouls. Ashlynn Trujillo added 13 and Krista Bustos nine.

Karlie Tec led Cleveland with 17 points.

Boys

Santa Fe Preparatory 63, Santa Fe Indian School 46

The goal was to hold the Braves to 40 points or less, and the Blue Griffins came close.

Still, it took a 19-11 scoring spurt in the second quarter for Prep to build a 33-23 lead at the break and gradually pull away in the second half.

The Blue Griffins (13-2) missed another goal — getting five players to score in double figures. Diego Perea had 15 points, D.J. Casados added 13 and Ian Andersson 12, but posts Tex Ritter and Will Lenfestey each had nine.

McCurdy 71, Dulce 51

The Bobcats defeated the Hawks for the second time this month, this time by a wider margin than their 37-30 win in the first round of the Northern Rio Grande Tournament on Jan. 3.

McCurdy (10-5) ramped up defensive pressure on in the first half, while building a 27-9 lead at the half.

The Hawks (7-7) came back to life in the second half to net a total of 41 points, but McCurdy still trumped them with 23 and 21 points in the third and fourth.

McCurdy junior Daniel Arroyo scored 22 points, and junior Dennis Padilla had 16. Seniors Randy Trujillo and junior Chris Serrano both got 12.

Dulce’s Darrell Victini led his team with 13, followed by Chauncy Victini with 10.