The Benton girls’ basketball team fell short of a return trip to the Class 4 Final Four as they lost to Bolivar, 44-35, in overtime in their quarterfinal game at Liberty North High School Saturday afternoon.

The loss snaps the Cardinals 18-game win streak as their end the season with a 26-3 record.

Bolivar led 3-0 and 4-3 early on, but Benton scored five straight points and never trailed again until the 2:52 mark of the fourth quarter.

The Cardinals biggest lead was six in the first half and they led 11-8 after the first quarter, 23-20 at halftime and 29-25 at the end of the third quarter.

Benton went cold in the final 12 minutes.  Boliver used a 6-0 run in the fourth quarter to take a 33-31 lead before Daejah Bernard made two free throws with 47 seconds left in regulation and the game went to OT.

The Liberators scored all 11 points in the extra period from the foul line and Benton never had the lead as the Cardinals scored only six points in the fourth quarter and overtime.

Bernard led Benton with 11 points, while Mallory McAndrews and Mia Stillman scored six points each.

Bolivar improves to 26-4 and they’ll play two-time defending state champion Incarnate Word Academy in the semifinals at 8:30 p.m. on Thursday inside Mizzou Arena.