A big fourth quarter rally came up just short when the Chelsea girls’ basketball team fell to Freeland 67-61 Tuesday night.

The Bulldogs entered the contest with a 7-2 record and ranked fifth in the AP D2 polls while Freeland was ranked 10th at 7-1, but it was the Falcons that took control early with a 25-18 lead after one quarter.

Freeland continued its hot shooting in the second building a 13 points lead, but the Bulldogs would try to keep it close and trailed 41-29 at halftime.

Chelsea trailed by as much as 15 in the third but was able to cut the lead to 53-40 after three.

The Bulldogs trailed by 15, 57-42 with just under five minute remain when Ella Day and Leila Wells hit back to back triples to cut the lead to nine, 57-48 and force a Freeland timeout.

Another Day triple cut the lead to seven with 3:20 left and after a Freeland basket, Aleeah Wells hit and and-one to cut the lead to six, 60-54 with 2:17 left.

Aleeah Wells hit a pair of free throws and Avery Lay hit a drive to the basket with 1:10 left to cut the lead to 60-58, but that is as close as the Bulldogs would get. Freeland would get a lay-in and a pair of free throws to push the lead back to six 64-58. After a Falcon free throw Leila Wells hit a triple with ten seconds left to make it 65-61, but two more Freeland free throws sealed the win.

Lay and and Leila Wells each finished with 18 points, while Day added nine.

The Bulldogs open SEC White play Friday night at Adrian.