The Red Level Lady Tigers (0-3) fought until the very end, but fell in a 29-28 heartbreaker to the Kinston Lady Bulldogs Tuesday night in Red Level.

Red Level jumped out front to start the ball game with Natalie Feagin dropping in 5 points and Hanna Colvin added 2 points to give the Lady Tigers a 7-4 lead at the end of the first period.

Macey Shipp cleaned up an offensive rebound and went back up for a bucket to put the Lady Tigers up 9-6 early in the second period.

Emily Free then knocked down a jumper for the Lady Bulldogs to cut into the Red Level lead.

Kasady Cardwell followed a successful layup and was fouled in the process. Cardwell knocked down the and-one opportunity to tie the game up 11-11 with just under two minutes left before halftime.

Kaci Musgrove then converted a layup off a steal and Free nailed a jumper with 25 seconds on the clock to put Kinston on top 15-11.

Red Level continued to fight hard and a strong basket from Colvin left the Lady Tigers trailing by just two points heading into halftime.

Free opened up the third period with another basket and then Feagin responded with a little baby hook to bring it back to a two-point Kinston lead.

Musgrove extended the Lady Bulldogs’ lead to 21-15 with 3:47 left in the third period, but Red Level answered with scores from Deonna Harris and Shipp to leave the Lady Tigers trailing 21-19 heading into the fourth period.

Feagin got red hot to start the final period and connected for six-straight points to put the Lady Tigers on top 24-21 with 5:40 left in the game.

Red Level increased the lead to 26-21 with a 2-for-2 trip to free throw line from Colvin with 3:38 left.

Feagin increased the lead back up to five points after Musgrove had trimmed it to three.

Kinston then went on a went on a 6-0 run over the next two minutes to take a 29-28 lead with 45 seconds remaining.

Red Level had an a couple of chances to regain the lead in the closing moments, but each attempt fell just short of its mark and the Lady Tigers fell 29-28.

Feagin led the Lady Tigers with 14 points and Colvin finished with 8 points.

“It was a hard-fought ball game,” Red Level coach Allen Catrett said. “We just have to learn how to finish. The biggest let down of the game was in the second quarter, other than that, we outscored or tied them each quarter. We are going to keep working and we will fix these mistakes. It’s good to make these mistakes early and fix them that way we don’t make the same ones come February.”