M'Kiyiah Olivier fights off a Westminster defender on her way to the bucket. 

The Highland Baptist girls basketball team usually lights it up from the perimeter.

M’Kiyiah and Yvette Olivier, along with Kiara Comeaux and Logan Boutte, give the third-seeded Lady Bears multiple threats from beyond the arc.

With the outside shots not falling in the first half of its second-round Division IV home playoff game against Westminster Christian on Monday, Kiara Comeaux switched gears.

The senior forward, who repeatedly sliced through the lane to draw fouls, scored 10 of her game-high 22 points from the free-throw line in the Lady Bears’ 58-36 win. Her penetration opened up the corner for Yvette Olivier, who hit three 3-pointers in the third quarter.

“I’m good at boards and nice at assists, so I had to use that to my advantage,” Comeaux said. “I really wanted this game. Our team matured and came together. I’m proud of them.”

Olivier stayed confident despite a cold shooting first half. The freshman made 3 of her last 5 field goal attempts in the third quarter and finished with 21 points.

“We didn’t come out like we normally do,” Olivier said. “We came out slowly, expecting to win.”

No. 14 Westminster Christian (16-9) used its size advantage to take a 9-5 lead in the first quarter. The taller Crusaders, who were able to draw several fouls, scored the last six points of the first half for an 18-18 deadlock at intermission.

“That’s a good basketball team,” HBCS coach Carol Sensley said of the Crusaders. “They’re a very talented team with good size. They matched up well with us.”

The Lady Bears (20-8) fell behind 20-18 to open the third quarter. That’s when Comeaux and Olivier got hot. Comeaux’s free throw put HBCS ahead 29-23. Two free throws from M’Kiyiah Olivier extended the lead to 8 points.

Following a Westminster basket, Comeaux had a hand in five of the Lady Bears’ next six scoring sequences. A Logan Boutte bucket made it 37-27. Comeaux assisted on Yvette Olivier’s 3-pointer before sinking a free throw for a 41-27 lead after three quarters.

Yvette Olivier was also active on the defensive end, collecting several steals and tying up the Crusaders for jump balls.

“Yvette is a go-getter,” Sensley said.

The Lady Bears will host sixth-seeded Hamilton Christian, a 57-20 winner over No. 11 Ascension Catholic, in the quarterfinals Thursday at 6 P.M. It’s a rematch of a December game won by Hamilton Christian 49-44 in Lake Charles.

“We’re going back to the drawing board and looking at doing some things differently,” Sensley said. “I told our girls that our consistency is going to be key.”

“We have to come prepared,” Comeaux said. “Our shots have to fall. We can’t look for fouls.”

“It was a tough matchup when we played them the first time. I liked that game because it helped me realize what I needed to work on.”