JV Lady Eagles Clutch Another Overtime Win; Claw Out Cuba 33-31

At home, the JV girls’ basketball team defied all odds again in a 33-31 overtime district victory over Cuba on Wednesday, Feb. 14.

This clutch squad had prevailed in moments like this before when the game had gone down to the wire in overtime. Sullivan head coach Bria Miller compared the win against Cuba to just two weeks prior, on Feb. 1, when the Lady Eagles knocked off their rival St. Clair in the fifth period. “They just want to win. That’s the biggest thing is that they’re all out there to win. So we need players like that. They’re competitive; they want the outcome to be a win in every game,” she explained.

After Sullivan was ahead by 7 points with 3 minutes left in the game, the Wildcats clawed themselves to a 31-28 lead in the final 22.5 seconds.

The Lady Eagles frantically passed the ball along the three-point line as the seconds were ticking. Freshman guard Olivia Barton knew it was now or never, so she sailed the ball to the basket with three seconds remaining. The three-pointer landed to tie it 31-31, beating the buzzer.

In overtime, Sullivan’s defense locked down the court, which allowed freshman guards Sydney Montee and Barton to cement the 33-31 victory with free throws.

The Lady Eagles went on the road to take down another pack of Lady Wildcats in Union for a 44-31 victory the day after. It marked the fourth game of their winning streak, with their first two being against New Haven and Pacific.

Sullivan’s high-powered offense has been firing on all cylinders lately, and they are not afraid to sink three-pointers. Miller has been telling the girls when they’re open, “Shoot, shoot, shoot. You’ve got to shoot. Don’t be afraid to shoot the ball.”

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