Incline girls basketball coach Indra Winquest was afraid of this.

With his Highlanders marching through league play in undefeated fashion, they were set up for an overconfident performance.

It happened Saturday, as visiting Yerington (6-7) dealt Incline (11-1) its first Division III loss, and only its second loss of the season, 43-39.

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“It didn’t go well. We played our worst game of the year. It was a clear case of being overconfident,” Winquest said. “We had started out slow the previous three or four games before that, and we did the same thing (Saturday).”

While Incline players took the loss hard, Winquest said the timing of the defeat could not have been more ideal. The Highlanders had already secured the No. 1 regional playoff seed, and a reality check of what can happen if they play poorly could prove beneficial, the coach said.

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“If there was one game that we could lose and it didn’t hurt us, it was this one. It could be a good thing. It could be a wake-up call,” Winquest said.

After falling behind 19-15 by the half, Incline came back and led by as many as eight points in the third quarter. The quarter ended with Incline up 33-30.

The hosts went flat in the fourth quarter, however, and Yerington took advantage, outscoring them 13-6 to pull off the upset win. Winquest said the Highlanders were a step behind on defense and cold on offense, particularly from outside, which allowed the Lions to pack the paint in a 3-1 zone.

Junior guard Molly Franklin scored 23 points to lead Incline. Kira Porter added four points and Kortney Solis and Elise Nelson scored three points apiece. Incline made only 14 of its 60 field-goal attempts in the game and was 5-of-24 from 3-point range.

Senior guard Celine Bethel led Yerington with 12 points, while Maria Martinez contributed 11 points and Francine Summerville nine.

Incline ends the regular season with a league game at North Tahoe (6-9) on Thursday at 6 p.m. and another at Silver Stage (2-12) on Saturday. The Northern Division III regional tournament will be contested at Battle Mountain next Friday and Saturday, Feb. 21-22. The state championship tournament is Feb. 28-March 1 in Reno.