JACKSONVILLE — Fairview’s season ended at the Class 4A Northeast Regional Tournament on Thursday.

The Lady Aggies fell behind against No. 7 Anniston early in the championship game and eventually lost 50-27 to wrap up the 2018-19 campaign with a 19-11 record.

The Lady Bulldogs (28-4), meanwhile, advanced to the state tournament and will take on No. 4 Greensboro in the semifinals on Tuesday at 6 p.m.

“The first half was a little rough,” first-year coach Justin Billings said. “We weren’t able to play our game. They kind of messed us up a lot. The message for the second half was, ‘What are we going to do?’ Are we going to lay down or are we going to come out and fight? I think in the third quarter, we came out pretty good. We just had a little trouble keeping that momentum going. A lot of credit to Anniston. They’re a pretty good team. But my girls never gave up.”

Molly McKelvy opened the contest with a 3-pointer, but Anniston soon got rolling after that.

The Lady Bulldogs closed the opening frame on a 12-2 run and outpaced Fairview 19-3 in the second stanza to secure a 31-8 halftime advantage.

Anniston’s ferocious press forced the Lady Aggies into 13 first-half turnovers.

Billings’ squad also shot just 19 percent (3 of 16) from the field during that same stretch.

“They’re pretty much the best defensive team we’ve faced,” Payton Golden said. “We kind of struggled. We didn’t stay calm … we just kept making mistakes.”

Added McKelvy, “Their press put us in a panic.”

Fairview, to its credit, played much better in the second half.

The Purple and Gold outscored Anniston 12-4 in the third quarter and limited the Lady Bulldogs to just two made field goals after intermission.

McKelvy led the Lady Aggies offensively with 14 points, while Golden tossed in seven.

Both were selected to the All-Tournament Team.

Maddie Yeager, Daisy Manasco and Isabella McGukin rounded out the scoring with two points apiece.

Despite Thursday’s tough outcome, there are several reasons for Fairview to be optimistic moving forward.

Not only do the Lady Aggies return the entirety of their roster next season, but the foundation Billings has laid should pay dividends heading in Year 2 of his tenure.

“I wouldn’t trade this season for anything,” the coach said. “These girls worked hard. I think they gave me all they could have and a little bit more, so I’m proud of them. A lot of these girls are younger and haven’t been in situations like this. So, this year has been a learning experience. Next year, hopefully, we’ll be a little more seasoned and experienced and be able to do it a little bit better.”

Added McKelvy: “Losing this game hurt, of course, but I feel like this will give us plenty of motivation to get back up and fight to make it further next year. I am proud of the season we have had and that we did not give up today. Many people doubted us considering our young team and having only one returning varsity player, but we gave it our all. We have this summer to train and improve our game. This season was definitely one to remember thanks to coach Billings and my teammates.”