Despite having a 23-point lead, the Patriots had to hold on late to secure a first-round win in the area tournament on Thursday.

Pike Liberal Arts beat Morgan Academy 58-52.

“Our defense did a really good job early at knocking down shots,” said Patriots head coach Alan Ponder. “We were able to get a lot of defensive stops in the first half.”

Strong defense and good production on the offense gave Pike Lib a strong start. In the second half, the shots stopped dropping for the Patriots.

“Our shots just weren’t falling like they were in the first half,” Ponder said. “We let up some transition points. We had some spots when we gave up some dumb fouls. Ill give Morgan credit. I don’t think they missed one free throw.”

The Patriots, who implemented pressure in the first half, kept it going in the third and fourth quarters and Morgan adjusted accordingly.

“We didn’t give up on the pressure they just adjusted really well to it,” Ponder said. “They were able to pressure us into some turnovers and bad shots.”

With the lead dwindling away, Ponder took a timeout and told his players to slow down against Morgan’s zone defense.

In the final two minutes of the game, Pike players stayed back and drew key fouls from Morgan Academy.

“That was something we stressed during the timeout,” Ponder said. “We did a good job after that of coming out and putting a little more pressure on them.”

Key free throws helped secure the win.

“That was huge for us from a confidence stand point,” Ponder said. “We didn’t care if we won it by one point or 20 as long as we won it. Hopefully moving forward it will give us some confidence and help us go deep.”

Marquese Christian led the Patriots with 15 points.

The Patriots advance to the second round, where they will play at 7:30 p.m. Friday against the winner of the Fort Dale and Hooper matchup.