FMS and Community met in Chapel Hill Thursday night in an early-season conference battle and the result was a split, with the Rockets taking a 37-30 win, while the Lady Rockets fell big, 37-18, to the Viqueens.

Caitlin McKenzie gave the Lady Rockets their only lead of the game when she hit one of two from the free-throw line at the 4:13 mark of the first quarter.

The Viqueens scored six straight and held FMS scoreless until late in the quarter when Jordan Yelensky made one of two tries from the charity stripe.

Brief comeback

In the second period, Community led 9-2 before Yelensky and McKenzie teamed up for six straight points to put Forrest back in the ballgame, trailing by one point, 9-8.

The Viqueens resisted the FMS comeback, outscoring the Lady Rockets 6-0 to end the first half with a 15-8 lead.

McKenzie, Emma Stacey, and Katey Harmon netted early buckets in the third period to cut the Unionville lead to 18-4, but once again, the Viqueens surged, scoring six unanswered points to take a 26-14 lead, entering the final six minutes of action.

Community held firm, winning an 11-4 fourth quarter to take the 19-point win.

McKenzie led the way in the scoring column for FMS with eight points, while Yelensky scored five, Stacey and Harmon added a deuce apiece, and Madison Curtis had one point.

Karla Pena led all scorers with 11 points for the Viqueens.

Points explosion

In the nightcap, the Rockets soared off the launch pad, scorching the Vikings with seven straight points to open the ballgame.

Dylan Wyatt got things going with a rebound and put-back, and after a three-second call on Community, Alex Huey drilled a missile three-bomb, making it 5-0.

The Vikings missed at the other end, sending Jacob Rich all the way on a fast break lay-in for the lucky seven lead.

Jarrett Collier broke the shutout with a bucket for Community before the Rockets hit stage two, outscoring the Vikings 9-1 for the remainder of the first period.

Ty Hengesbach's three-pointer and a buzzer-beating basket by Daniil Yatskov were the two big plays in the run that gave FMS a 22-13 halftime lead.

Vikings roar back

The Vikings poured it on in period No. 3, outscoring the Rockets 13-8 behind 11 points by Dillon Whitaker to cut the blue and white lead to four points entering the fourth quarter.

Dylan Jones opened up the scoring in the stanza, making it a 33-26 contest before the game was decided by the Forrest defense and some clutch free-throw shooting by the Rockets.

Community did not score until under a minute to play on a Collier free throw, but Dustin Brashear put the game on ice, converting a huge one-and-one with 27 seconds remaining in the game to send the Rockets to their fifth straight win.

Jones led the Rockets with 10 points, while Rich and Huey netted a half dozen points apiece.

Hengesbach finished with five points, Brashear and Yatskov added four markers apiece, and Wyatt wound up with the deuce to open the game.