The high-flying Class 4A No. 4 state-ranked Yates boys had gone nearly three minutes without scoring at the outset of their showdown with No. 18 North Forest.
Facing a 7-0 deficit, Mitchell Seraille scored the first two buckets for Yates and then deferred to sophomore shooting sensation Antwon Norman, who nailed three treys in the opening stanza.
When the Lions were in dire need of a spark with leading scorer Jock Hughes picking up two early fouls, Norman came to the rescue.
During one fourth-quarter Yates spurt, Norman scored 10 of 12 points to hold North Forest at bay and deliver a 103-92 victory at Barnett Fieldhouse.
Norman finished with a team-high 25 points and Seraille pounded away for 23 with his imposing presence in the paint. Hughes came on late to score 19.
Yates led by as many as 14 points in the third quarter, but the Bulldogs refused to quit with only eight players suited up.
Lions head coach Greg Wise kept rotating fresh players off his deep and talented bench that paid huge dividends down the stretch.
Yates improved to 13-2 overall and 3-0 in league play.