South Iredell had its heart broken by Forbush in dramatic fashion during last year’s holiday tournament girls consolation final, but the Vikings turned the tables on the Falcons Thursday.
Amanda Stanley’s stickback at the buzzer forced overtime, and the third-seeded Vikings never trailed in the extra stanza en route to a 54-51 victory in the R&L/WSIC Holiday Classic third-place game.
“I remember what happened last year,” said Stanley, referring to the game the Vikings lost to Forbush on Lindsey Williams’ steal and buzzer-beating shot. “This feels much better.”
Williams’ steal and lay-in knotted the score at 44-all with 53 seconds left in regulation.
Lindsey York drew a foul on a defensive rebound with 6.6 seconds remaining and made both free throws to put the fourth-seeded Falcons ahead 46-44.
Aaliyah Jackson raced up court with the ball after the ensuing inbounds and was fouled on her way to the basket with one second left. She missed the front end of a 1-and-1, but Stanley rose to the occasion to bail out the Vikings (7-4). She beat her defender at the low block to the ball for a clutch rebound and successful putback to send the game to OT.
“I knew I was quicker than her and that I needed to get the ball and score quickly,” Stanley said.
Kaylee Johnson’s two free throws with 21 seconds remaining in OT produced the final margin.
Savannah Hill and Williams attempted potential game-tying 3-pointers inside 10 seconds but were a tad off the mark, and the Falcons didn’t get a third look before time ran out.
“It just doesn’t feel good,” said Falcons coach Bradley Shore, whose team suffered its third OT loss of the season and dropped to 4-8. “But it’s like I told the girls, one play never wins or loses a ballgame. Our girl put a body on (Stanley). It wasn’t so much a bad play on her part as it was a good play on (Stanley’s) part.”
Neither team led by more than six.
Jackson turned in her typical strong performance, recording game highs in points (19) and rebounds (17). She also had five blocks and five steals.
Stanley added 11 points and 10 rebounds, including the crucial offensive board at the end of regulation.
“That was so big for us,” said South Iredell coach Michael Fisher, noting he felt confident his team would find a way to pull through in overtime. “I’m so happy for her, because she works so hard.”
York poured in 16 points to pace Forbush. She also grabbed eight rebounds.
Hill added 12 points and 10 rebounds for a double-double.
“Either team could’ve easily won this,” Shore said. “Unfortunately for us, it was them.”
GIRLS BASKETBALL
South Iredell 54
Forbush 51 (OT)
Forbush 14 10 7 15 5 — 51
South Iredell 11 12 11 12 8— 54
FORBUSH (51): Lindsey York 16, Savannah Hill 12, Pendry 9, Williams 7, Gentry 4, Morsch 2, Waldroup 1.
SOUTH IREDELL (54): Aaliyah Jackson 19, Amanda Stanley 11, Johnson 8, Coleman 7, Campbell 7, Hall 2.
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