(Dennis Mansfield/Daily News photo) Niagara junior guard Josie Rock (10) is under heavy pressure from Lena’s Natalie McNurlen during a WIAA Division 5 regional semifinal girls basketball game on Friday night at Niagara High School. Rock scored 13 points to lead her team to a 46-37 victory, which sent the Lady Badgers into tonight’s regional final at Three Lakes.

NIAGARA, Wis. — In their final game of the regular season, the Niagara Lady Badgers hammered Lena by 24 points. Earlier in the season, Niagara knocked off the Wildcats by 14.

Still, Niagara coach Karl Lamoreaux expected a battle when the teams met for the third time Friday night in a WIAA Division 5 regional semifinal at Niagara High School. And he got it, though his Lady Badgers prevailed 46-37 to advance the final Saturday at Three Lakes.

“I knew coming in that we had just beaten them, but I knew that they didn’t play well and that we had,” Lamoreaux said of Lena. “So I knew we were going to have a fight on our hands tonight. But my girls always work hard. We didn’t execute as great as we should have tonight, but we did enough to win.”

Though they were on their home court, the Lady Badgers (16-8) struggled with their shooting much of the game, especially early. Niagara scored just five points in the first eight minutes of the game and trailed the Wildcats 10-5.

Niagara came back to take a 21-17 lead into the locker room, but seemed a bit unsettled.

“You get to this time of the year and they know it’s a possibility you could go home,” Lamoreaux said. “And even (starting guard) Josie (Rock), she started as a freshman and this is her third year in the tournament, and you could tell she had some jitters.”

Niagara was also forced to contend with starting guard Morgan Borchardt’s foul problems in the first half. The junior picked up two fouls in the opening 6 1/2 minutes, forcing her to the bench for about six minutes.

“Morgan is the fire behind our team,” Lamoreaux said when asked about Borchardt’s importance to his team. “When Morgan’s playing well, we’re rolling. And that’s where our effort comes from, that’s who sets the tone, She’s going 100 percent all the time. But she gets in foul trouble (sometimes), so it’s a double-edge sword.”

Lena (14-12) scored the first two hoops of the second half to knot the game at 21-all, but the Lady Badgers answered with five straight points to take the lead back for good. Then when the Wildcats had pulled within two again, Niagara junior Abby Wells scored two straight buckets to give her team a 38-32 lead and the Lady Badgers were on their way to the title game.

“Abby’s always been a great defender, but now she’s starting to score a little bit,” Lamoreaux said.

Rock paced the Lady Badgers with 13 points, while Borchardt added 12.

Lena was paced by 6-foot freshman Eva Brooks, who recorded 12 points.

The Niagara-Three Rivers final is scheduled to start at 7 p.m. in Three Lakes. The Bluejays defeated the Lady Badgers 48-42 on Dec. 28.