A good barometer of success is having one of your players almost outscore the opposing team.

Christy Hewatt’s career-high 28 points in less than three quarters of play came close, as Forsyth Central rode a mammoth third quarter to a 60-30 victory over North Springs on Friday in the Dawg Pound.

The Lady Bulldogs (13-6 overall, 7-3 Region 6-AAAA) led by a relatively modest eight points at the end of two quarters, but their defensive pressure after halftime produced a flood of turnovers that helped them outscore the Lady Spartans 25-3 in the third period.

Central coach Andy Martin said he felt that an effort to be more aggressive on defense early in the game may have backfired on his team, but he was pleased with the way things turned around in the second half.

“We came out trying to do something that we don’t do to a lot of teams, and that’s really pressure from the start,” Martin said.

“I think it might have kind of psyched us out, it worked in reverse a little bit. That’s my fault, but we certainly did respond after halftime.”

North Springs only held one lead, 3-2, during the game. Central responded with an 11-0 run and the Lady Spartans were never able to draw even.

Caylin Davenport was also in double figures for Central with 16 points. Tee McFadden led North Springs with 11.

The Lady Bulldogs have won their last three region games, and Martin credits a team-first approach as an important part of their winning formula.

“I really think they love each other and they believe in each other,” Martin said of his players. “They’ve grown into what a team really is. More than wins and losses, I’m most proud of that.”

The coach said that a big part of his players’ attitudes has grown out of the strong senior leadership the team has received this season.

“Rachael [Tomlinson] has been a key, just a leader on the floor. ... But off the floor, she has been a big sister to a lot of those freshmen and sophomores,” Martin said.

“It’s a fun group to coach.”