When Lamar State College Port Arthur took off for a 25-day holiday break last month, the Seahawks were mired in a two-game skid with losses to Bossier Parish Community College and Panola College.

Now on a five-game winning streak, the Seahawks (12-5, 4-2 in Region XIV) are approaching their fourth game in nine days and sixth in 14 with Navarro College (15-1, 5-0) coming Saturday. Both teams lead their respective zones in the region; Lamar State is two games ahead of Angelina College (8-9, 2-4), and Navarro is one game better than No. 16-ranked Trinity Valley Community College, whose only region loss came last Friday in Port Arthur.

“You can only control your daily effort and your attitude,” seventh-year Seahawks coach Lance Madison said. “Last year’s bunch controlled their effort and their attitude, just like this year’s bunch is doing. The ball has bounced our way a few times, and we’re in a position where we’ve won some games.”

Lamar State is pursuing its first zone championship since the 2015-16 season.

The Seahawks scored their most convincing victory in Region XIV play Wednesday night in beating Paris Junior College 71-60 behind sophomore Nathan Bailey’s 25 points. Bailey had hit game-winning shots in the final 5 seconds in each of the previous two games, against Trinity Valley and at Kilgore College on Monday.

“He’s playing with a lot of confidence right now,” Madison said. “He’s in a zone. He’s shooting the ball well right now. He’s a third-year guy, so he’s got a little bit of experience. The guys are doing a good job of getting him the ball in the right positions. … He’s been a good leader for us.”

Bailey redshirted last season after beginning his career at LSU-Alexandria.

Navarro, which has won 13 straight, received votes in the latest NJCAA Division I top-25 poll and will be a little more rested than Lamar State. The Corsicana-based Bulldogs last played Monday night at home beating Jacksonville College 90-82 and have three of the top 12 scorers in Region XIV in forwards Gavin Kensmil (16.6 points per game), James Jean-Marie (16.0) and Shakem Johnson (15.9).

But so far, the Seahawks have lost only one game at home, back on Dec. 1 to Bossier Parish 96-91.

“We’ve just got to work hard, continue to play our game,” Bailey said. “If we play as a team, we feel like we can beat anyone.”

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I.C. Murrell: 721-2435. Twitter: @ICMurrellPANews