The Eastside Lady Bulldogs and the Boyd Lady Broncos were locked in a tight game that came down to the wire in the 5-6 grade postseason basketball tournament Monday night.
Eastside pushed the game into overtime, but it was all Boyd in the extra period with the Lady Broncos pulling away to win, 23-17.
Erica Cantrell was the top scorer for Boyd with a game-high 11 points. For Eastside, Clara Brackley led the way with 10.
The Lady Bulldogs clawed and fought their way back after trailing Boyd the entire game. Offense from Cantrell would help Boyd have a five-point lead heading into the final quarter.
After multiple trips down the floor with Boyd coming up empty, the frustration started to show on the faces of the Lady Broncos. Shelby Smartt was able to get Eastside back within striking distance before being called for her fifth foul.
Smartt was able to produce every point in the fourth quarter for Eastside with the exception of one. It would be tough for Smartt to watch her team continue without her from the bench.
After a couple of close calls and a few timeouts from both sides it was the Lady Bulldogs finding themselves only down one point with under a minute to play. Turnovers would end up costing the Lady Broncos as time would tick off the clock.
Eastside would have open looks with under a minute to play, but would not be able to connect. Fortunately for the Lady Bulldogs, rebounding would be critical in the remaining few seconds. The rebound would find its way into the hands of the Lady Bulldogs. Knowing how much time was left on the clock, Brackley would shoot from 3-point range for the win.
The crowd, keeping its eye on the ball to see what the Lady Bulldogs’ fate would be, would hear a whistle blow. A foul had been committed by the Lady Broncos giving Brackley the chance to tie or win the game for Eastside from the free-throw line. Not much pressure on a 5-6 grade player right?
Brackley would come up empty on her first two attempts. As an attempt to ice her, Boyd would call timeout giving her time to think about what was about to happen. With :02 on the clock, Brackley would step to the line and sink the third shot tying the game at 17. The crowd erupted.
The overtime period would be the demise of the Lady Bulldogs. In the final four minutes of play the Lady Broncos would put on a charge and race the Lady Bulldogs to the finish. Boyd would be able to find six points in the overtime period while Eastside would be unable to contend in the last four minutes. Boyd would win by a final of 23-17.
Lady Broncos scoring - Erica Cantrell 11, Sydney Burger 4, Breanna Jones 4 and Alaina Stiles 4.
Lady Bulldog scoring - Clara Brackley 10 and Shelby Smartt 7.
