A staunch defense powered the Madison Prep Academy Chargers’ girls’ basketball team to a 50-15 win over the E.D. White Catholic High School Cardinals.

Guard Auri Ray led the Chargers with 14 points, but the Chargers’ defense made the difference, forcing turnovers on seemingly every other possession.

“I was just being me, that’s what I do,” Ray said about her and the team’s defensive performance.

Despite the loss, Cardinals’ head coach Nick Cenac kept a positive mindset.

“It gives us a gauge of where we need to be going forward,” Cenac said. “If we want to get to that level, we gotta better, we gotta get quicker, stronger, faster. We have to work on our skill set, but we’ll be there one day.”

As the rest of the team, eighth grader Immi Ingram had a tough game, but after scoring 29 points in the Cardinals’ second-round matchup, Cenac knows she’ll learn from the loss and come back stronger.

“She’s got a lot to keep working on, she knows that, but the sky is the limit,” Cenac said. “She’s got the potential to be a really good player, and I’m excited to see that. Next year, she’ll be even better.”

The Chargers move on to the semifinals of the LHSAA Divison II Select playoff tournament on Thursday when they face University Lab, a team they know all too well, Chargers’ head coach Dwayne Hayes said.

“We play in the same district, they’re familiar with us, we’re familiar with them. We beat them one time, but it’s hard to beat a team twice, so we have to go out there and play,” Hayes said.