Almost three years to the day, the Lady Wildcats are back to where they once belonged.

Sparked by solid second-half defense and a big rebounding edge, No. 5 ranked Sand Rock (29-3) posted a 76-48 victory over Woodland in the Class 2A Northeast Regional Tournament semifinals last Wednesday at Jacksonville State.

The Lady Wildcats will face No. 6 Gaston (26-6) at 4 p.m. on Friday for the chance to represent the northeast at next week’s Final Four in Birmingham.

The win matched the accomplishments of the 2002-03 Sand Rock squad, which defeated J.B. Pennington in the regional semifinals before losing to eventual state champion Pisgah in the title game.

This year’s Lady Rocker squad features two leftovers from the last time that the program competed at Pete Mathews Coliseum - head coach Lisa Bates and senior point guard Taylor Burt.

Burt picked right up where she left off as a freshman, scoring a team-high 23 points while dishing out eight assists.

“I was trying to get every one relaxed during the past five days, but everyone was jittery,” said Burt. “You really can’t describe the atmosphere and pressure [in the regional tournament] unless you’ve been through it.”

Sand Rock shook off its butterflies long enough to take a 12-point lead after one quarter, but Woodland (14-10) outscored the Lady Wildcats 21-11 in the second period to create some anxiety for Bates and Co. at halftime.

“I thought that we panicked a bit in the second quarter,” said Bates. “We kept shooting 3’s when we weren’t hitting them, and we let Woodland get back into the game and get the momentum.”

After the Lady Bobcats drew within 35-33 early in the third quarter, Sand Rock embarked on a 14-4 run that gave the Lady Wildcats a double-digit lead for good.

Sand Rock padded its lead with an 11-1 stretch to start the fourth quarter, and Woodland went scoreless from the field until the period’s final minute.

“The girls really stepped it up and played strong defense in the second half,” said Bates. “That’s what won the game for us. One of our goals was to hold [Woodland] to one shot, and we knew that if we did that we’d have a chance to win. The girls really focused on what we needed to do. We adjusted well at halftime and were a little more patient on offense.”

Also for Sand Rock, Ashley Beck contributed a double-double of 22 points and 17 rebounds, including seven on the offensive end.

“I thought that Ashley really controlled the boards,” said Bates. “I’m really proud of how she stepped up.”

Beck and her teammates dominated the glass, pulling down 55 rebounds to Woodland’s 33.

Poor second-half shooting also hurt the Lady Bobcats’ cause, as Woodland converted just 19 percent (5-of-26) of its field goals.

By contrast, Sand Rock shot 54 percent (18-for-33) from the field over the final 16 minutes.

The Lady Wildcats also finished on top at the free throw line, shooting 58 percent (10-for-17) to Woodland’s 42 percent (8-for-19)

Amy Crane added 10 points for the Lady Wildcats, while Angelique Kordich chipped in nine.

Kordich and Kristin Brown each grabbed eight rebounds.

Courtney Strain was the sole Lady Bobcat in double figures, finishing with 24 points. She was limited to 3-for-13 shooting in the second half.

“She’s a good player,” said Bates. “We knew coming in that we’d have to defend her tightly.”

Sand Rock began the contest with a 9-2 run before the Lady Bobcats closed within 12-8.

Two field goals and two three-pointers each from Beck and Burt composed a 10-2 stretch that provided the Lady Wildcats with a 22-10 lead after eight minutes.

Kordich’s free throw 22 seconds in the second frame extended the Sand Rock advantage to 13 points, and Burt’s three-pointer and another Kordich foul shot made it 27-15 in favor of the Lady Wildcats.

The Lady Bobcats clawed back, however, as Strain accounted for eight points of an ensuing 16-6 Woodland run that cut the Sand Rock lead to 33-31 at halftime.

Strain’s basket at 6:12 of the third quarter drew the Lady Bobcats within 35-33, but Strain scored just five points for the remainder of the game.

Burt’s three-pointer and Beck’s basket widened the gap to seven points midway through the period, and the Lady Wildcats emerged from the quarter with a 49-39 advantage.

Woodland failed to muster another challenge over the last eight minutes, and Sand Rock finished the game on a 16-5 run to advance to Friday’s title match with Gaston.

“It’s really intense when we play Gaston,” said Bates. “They know a lot about us and we know a lot about them. There will be no surprises. It’s going to come down to who wants it more and who executes better.”

“Playing Gaston, you know what you’re getting into,” added Burt. “You know what to expect after playing them twice.”

SAND ROCK (76): Burt 23, Beck 22, Crane 10, Kordich 9, Brown 4, Bramblett 2, Casey 2, Bell 2, Hanson 2.

WOODLAND (48): Strain 24, Triplett 8, Noles 7, Fields 5, Morris 2, Heard 2