By Mike McGraw
Executive Director
KOKOMO – It took just two games for the girls basketball season to reach the same fever pitch it enjoyed at last year’s state finals. Class 2A top-ranked Oak Hill traveled to 2A No. 5 Taylor Nov. 17, and the result was an absolute classic.
Think I am exaggerating? Try this on for size. There were three overtimes, two buzzer-beaters, two incredible performances, one mountain climbed, and one test of character passed. That isn’t bad for one game, you know.
In the end, the host Titans came away with a 70-67 victory and a huge monkey off their backs.
Oak Hill rolled into this one at far less than full strength. The Golden Eagles, who lost a 60-58 overtime heartbreaker a year ago to Heritage Christian for the 2A state championship, were without starters 6-foot junior forward Marissa Coolman (injured hand) and sophomore guard Shirley Larson (injured foot).
Soon after the tip, they were also minus post player Ashley Pickering, the 6’4’ senior who picked up two quick fouls and sat the rest of the half. Nonetheless, they showed the composure of champions and led at the first stop 14-9.
That lead soon evaporated under a barrage of 3-pointers by Taylor’s Shelby Wall. The senior sniper hit six first-half treys and brought the Titans to a 26-26 tie at the intermission.
Wall’s 18 first-half points had been offset by the biggest of the Golden Eagles’ weapons, Miss Basketball candidate Courtney Moses, a 5’7” senior guard who had 16 of her own.
Two developments in the third quarter had Oak Hill fans breathing a little easier. First, Pickering returned to the court and began to rule the boards. Second, Moses changed the way she was defending Wall, forcing her to put the ball on the floor more than in the initial 16 minutes.
Wall had taken 12 shots in the first two quarters, but she began to have difficulty finding shot opportunities in the third stanza. Still, at quarter’s end, the Golden Eagles were leading by only three, 42-39.
That lead immediately evaporated in the early moments of the fourth period. That’s when Taylor stepped up the defensive pressure and stagnated the Oak Hill offense.
The Titans grabbed the lead at 44-43 and showed no intention of giving it back. They led the entire quarter and were in position at the foul line to put the game away in the final minutes.
But they struggled from the line and, as is always the case, you can never give a champion a second chance. The Eagles’ Pickering and Titans’ Wall traded free throws in the final seconds, leaving Taylor with a 53-50 lead with just under five seconds to play.
Oak Hill had the ball under its own basket, and you can guess what happened next. The inbounds play was drawn for Moses, and she responded with a buzzer-beating three from the left wing to send the contest into overtime.
Moses opened the extra session with a pair of free throws to put the Eagles ahead. It set up the critical sequence in the game.
Moments later, the Oak Hill star was in the open court and headed to the hoop. The result was an offensive foul – her fifth. Taylor later scored to send the game into a second overtime.
More importantly, the only Oak Hill player who could begin to stop Wall was now permanently on the bench. Most thought it would be enough for Taylor to prevail.
So much for what people think.
Oak Hill role-playing guards sophomore Bekah Hochstedler and junior Lorrie Newhouse each made big plays in the opening moments of the second overtime, and the depleted Eagles were suddenly up 60-55. Wall saw to it that it didn’t last.
She hit a bucket to close Taylor within 60-57, then hit a 3-pointer with 15 seconds left to cut the lead to 63-60. After a flurry at the other end, the Titans found themselves with the ball and roughly six seconds to play.
Oak Hill coach Todd Law found himself facing the eternal question: Do you play it out or do you foul because you are up three points? Law chose to play it straight and, in retrospect, paid the price.
The Titans got the ball to Wall, who attracted nearly the entire Golden Eagles defense. She managed to spot Courtney Schroeder on the left side of the arc, and the junior drained the three at the buzzer to send the contest into the third overtime.
Four Wall free throws and a bucket from post player Kaitlynne Smith were enough to seal the verdict for Taylor in the third extra session. Oak Hill was out of miracles as well as options as Pickering was the only serious offensive weapon on the floor, and she missed a trey in the closing seconds that would have tied it one more time.
Wall ended the evening with 38 points and a huge smile. Moses had 28 before exiting in the first overtime.
The Titans defeated Oak Hill for the first time in four years and set up huge anticipation for a possible rematch in the sectional. Oak Hill found character in its bench that will simply make the Golden Eagles even stronger when they return to full strength.
Meanwhile, Wall and the Titans found they had other weapons with which to challenge Oak Hill at tourney time. Stay tuned, as this rematch will be worth the price of admission.
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