It could have been easier, but a win is a win, especially in the postseason.

After leading by as many as 15 points late in the third quarter Wednesday night, the eighth-seeded Wareham Lady Vikings squad nearly let things slip away at home in a matchup against their ninth-seeded rival Old Rochester Regional.

A fourth quarter push, albeit a small one, led by junior point guard Tieyanna Yancey and senior center Kia Fernandes helped the Vikings hold on and advance past the first round of the Division III South Sectional Tournament by a score of 36-31.

A strong first three quarters had the Vikings gradually take command, but back-to-back-back baskets by the Bulldogs with under 40 seconds to play in the third cut the large lead to 31-22. ORR further trimmed the lead to as few as five in the fourth after several Wareham turnovers, but the Vikings were able to hold on for the victory.

In the fourth, Yancey made several key defensive stops and and hit a crucial runner in the lane that extended Wareham’s lead to seven late in the game. Fernandes also had several defensive stops and scored the other three of Wareham’s five points in the fourth. Wareham scored only 11 points in the second half after pouring in 25 in the first.

“I thought we had a chance to knock them out,” said Wareham Coach Dave Brogioli following the game. “Our turnovers kept them in it.”

Though those turnovers and missed shots plagued the Vikings in the second half, Brogioli commended his team for its defensive effort throughout.

“I thought we were in control — even when they had that run, I called timeout and I looked at my kids and I said, 'What are they doing to beat us?' They said 'Nothing.' And I said, ‘That’s right. Take care of the ball.’ We just made some bad decisions.”

In all, Yancey had 13 points for the Wareham, with Fernandes adding 11. Kia’s sophomore sister Kali did a great job on keeping one of Old Rochester’s top scorers, senior guard Kaleigh Goulart, to only eight points (Goulart sat out part of the first quarter for disciplinary reasons). Viking forward Brianna Tavares also played well off the bench both offensively and defensively for the Vikings.

The two teams split the season series, with ORR winning by one earlier in the year, and Wareham returning the favor in a tight, one-point win last week.

“I just like the character of this group,” added Brogioli, who said that his father and legendary Wareham boys Coach Jim Brogioli gave a pep talk to the team before the game. “We had a pre-game with dad — that was awesome. He just talked about the rivalry a little bit, but playing 30 seconds at a time. ORR-Wareham is always going to be a battle, but it’s the 30 second battles. It was a slugfest at times.”

Wareham will play top-seeded Abington High School Friday in Abington at 6:30 p.m.