SDN Sports Editor
And the magic continues.
Amid an electric, playoff-like atmosphere, the Lady Tigers topped Sweetwater in overtime Friday, 46-41, in a classic in front of a standing-room only crowd at Tiger Gym, giving Snyder its 22nd consecutive victory and clinching a playoff spot from District 3-3A.
“That was a great high school basketball game,” head coach Mike Martin said. “You had two good teams, and the crowd was unbelievable. It was so loud in the fourth quarter, the girls couldn’t hear me.”
With the Lady Tigers trailing since the first period, the crowd came undone late in the fourth quarter after the Lady Tigers (24-2, 7-0) went on a 6-0 run to tie the game with just over a minute left.
Trailing 33-27, Sequoya Powell, who finished with 12 points and eight boards, grabbed a rebound and got the put back to close it to four, Sirena Medrano hit a baseline jumper to make it two, and Erin Burleson charged through the lane for a lay-up and a 33-33 tie.
The teams exchanged baskets before the final gun, and the Lady Tigers kept the momentum into the extra stanza.
Powell hit a long two-point jumper from the corner to open the overtime, and Terann Ragland converted a pair of attempts at the charity stripe to give Snyder its first lead since midway through the first quarter.
After Sweetwater point guard Dacy Ivy nailed a three-pointer, Burleson answered with a trey of her own to push the lead back to four.
Powell and Medrano each went 2 for 2 from the line, as the Lady Tigers nailed their final six free-throw attempts.
Burleson, who led the Lady Tigers with 14 points, and Jordan Stansell (two points, six rebounds) were awestruck by the crowd, both admitting they had never been in a basketball environment like the one Friday.
“It was awesome,” Stansell stated.
“Wow,” Burleson said after the game. “That was really exciting. We had great support, and that makes it really fun to play.”
SHS English teacher and official scorekeeper Beth Bowen said she couldn’t remember ever seeing the gym as packed as it was Friday.
“It’s the most full I’ve ever seen it in 30 years,” she said.
If playoff spots were earned through heart and determination, Sweetwater (22-5, 4-3) also would have clinched a spot Friday.
Danni Owens had 16 and Tracy Cowin put from the low post and the Lady Mustangs matched the Lady Tigers in intensity and production.
“They had a great game plan and they were well-prepared,” Martin said of Sweetwater.
Ragland said this game was harder than the first times the teams matched-up, a 48-41 Snyder victory.
“It was quite a bit more difficult. They ran some different stuff,” she said.
“The second time around district is always harder,” Burleson interjected. “We won this one on guts.”
Martin said he couldn’t point to any particular play or area that helped his team get its 23rd win of the year and put it one step closer to winning the district title outright.
Instead, he praised the determination of his team.
“We made enough plays down the stretch, and gutted it out,” he said. “We found a way to win.”