Adding two players to a lineup a day before postseason play opens could be a chemistry nightmare for most basketball teams.

That wasn’t the case for the Evarts Lady Cats, who added sixth graders Kylie Noe and Ashley Preston two days after they led the school’s fifth- and sixth-grade team to a county championship. The Lady Cats pulled off a rare sweep Thursday as Noe poured in 25 points as Evarts completed an impressive tournament run with a 43-41 win over Rosspoint on Thursday in the seventh- and eighth-grade county finals at James A. Cawood Elementary School.

“Our eighth-graders allowed us to transition those sixth-graders into the rotation. They are so unselfish,” said Evarts coach John Middleton, who led the Cawood fifth- and sixth-grade team to a county championship last season with Noe as his top player. “They didn’t care about points or who got the attention. All they wanted to do is win, and they did a great job of leading us to a championship. They’re a good example for our younger players.”

With the score tied at 24 midway through the third quarter, Noe closed the period with eight straight points to give Evarts a 32-24 lead. Rosspoint had trouble stopping Noe in transition as she often took the rebound all the way down the court to score.

“We’re a team that likes to get out in transition and push the ball,” Middleton said. “Kylie fits that style really well. She’s at her best in the open floor. She gets her head up and sees the floor well. Then she has the physical ability to finish with contact.”

The lead grew to 10 early in the fourth period on a basket by Preston. Evarts didn’t score for over three minutes as Rosspoint battled back to within three on a 3-pointer by Jenna Wilson, a basket by Paige Phillips and two free throws from Chloe Shelton.

Rosspoint had a chance to get closer but missed seven of 10 free throws during a stretch in the fourth quarter and connected on only 13 of 33 for the game.

Noe put Evarts back in control with a basket followed by a three-point play. Rosspoint pulled back to within four on two free throws by Hailey Austin. A free throw by Preston pushed the lead to five before a couple of late baskets by Samantha Goshen cut the deficit to two as the game ended.

Rosspoint grabbed an early lead on baskets by Austin and Wilson and never trailed in the first quarter until Noe completed a three-point play with 5.4 seconds left in the period. Austin put Rosspoint back on top as she drained a 3 from a couple of steps past halfcourt as the buzzer sounded.

Noe had the first four baskets for Evarts in the second quarter, often hurting Rosspoint in transition, to build a three-point lead. A Wilson 3-pointer with 2:17 left in the half pulled Rosspoint even at 21-21. The score remained the same until Isabelle Kirby hit two free throws in the closing seconds to give Evarts a 23-21 halftime advantage.

Austin scored 18 points and Wilson added nine for Rosspoint (11-8)

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Evarts (43) — Isabelle Kirby 9, Madison Jones 2, Carly Madden 3, Ashley Preston 4, Kylie Noe 25.

Rosspoint (41) — Hailey Austin 18, Jenna Wilson 9, Chloe Shelton 3, Samantha Goshen 7, Paige Phillips 4.

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James A. Cawood, this year’s regular season champion, was able to shake off the disappointment of a semifinal loss to Evarts on Tuesday with a 31-11 win over Black Mountain in the third-place game.

The Trojanettes raced to a 17-4 halftime lead as eighth-grade center Taylor Lunsford scored eight of her game-high 12 points in the first half and Kylie Jones tossed in six of her eight points.

Kaitlyn Turner led Black Mountain with five points.

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James A. Cawood (31) — Kylie Jones 8, Taylor Lunsford 12, Kaylee Buell 2, Aaliyah Lewis 4, Skylar Shepherd 1, Cadance Ferguson 2, Juleaa Smith 2.

Black Mountain (11) — Hannah Turner 3, Kaitlyn Turner 5, McKenzie Crider 3.