The Lady Bulldogs made their first state-level basketball game in King’s Fork High School history a winning one on Friday in Salem.

They defeated Carroll County High School 55-51 in the Group 4A state quarterfinals at the Salem Civic Center in Salem.

“I’m just excited for the young ladies,” Lady Bulldogs coach Maurice Fofana said. “They have worked hard since November to get to states. I can’t express the work that they’ve put in, I can’t express the long days they’ve had. It’s just great for them, and we have two more games left.”

Consistently eluded King’s Fork during the first half of its game against Carroll County.

“I think we played good in quarters,” Fofana said.

The Lady Bulldogs led 16-11 after the first quarter but were outscored 17-5 in the second to trail the Lady Cavaliers 28-21 at halftime.

“Our second half performance was much better,” Fofana said, voicing his suspicion that his team got complacent.

King’s Fork won the third period 17-8 to lead 38-36 entering the fourth quarter.

“We applied much more pressure, and I think with the pressure and being able to play so many kids, we kind of wore them out,” Fofana said. “We played 10 kids.”

Helping off the bench were Nylah Young, Alexis Wethington, Latoya Thomas, Cydney Nichols and Jazlyn Dunn.

Highlighting Wethington, a junior guard, Fofana said, “She came off the bench, man, and she gave us a spark like you wouldn’t believe. She forced about five or six turnovers with our pressure defense. She got some put backs, she got some steals.”

She finished with five steals and four key points.

“She was our game MVP tonight if we had to give one out,” Fofana said.

Sophomore point guard Camary Harris of the Lady Bulldogs finished with 15 points, six assists and five steals.

The game was back and forth in the fourth quarter, but King’s Fork took the lead for good with around three minutes left, thanks in part to timely free throws from Harris.

Junior forward Amesha Miller led the Lady Bulldogs with 18 points and 12 rebounds, while Nichols added seven points.

King’s Fork (26-4) faces Monacan High School at 2 p.m. on Monday in the Group 4A state tournament semifinals at Virginia Commonwealth University.

The Lady Chiefs, led by star Megan Walker, are the defending 4A state champions, and they defeated the Lady Bulldogs 72-54 in the 4A East semifinals.