In a defensive struggle worthy of Super Bowl Weekend, a late stand lifted the Chaps past visiting Connally 43-42 in overtime to all but clinch second place in District 25-5A.

Westlake (25-4, 9-2) now trails district-leading Pflugerville by two games but appears headed toward a more favorable first-round playoff matchup with the win over third-place Connally (22-8, 8-3). Coupled with what Coach Keith Smith called a “gut check” late in the game, those postseason ramifications made the victory particularly sweet.
“Oh, man, what a fantastic win,” Smith said. “I’m extremely proud of the girls, because they showed a lot of heart tonight.”

They also showed quick feet and good hands in the waning moments of both regulation and the game. During an overtime period that resembled an NFL game, the first basket did indeed win the contest. The Cougars scored the first point in overtime on a free throw by Brittany Roberts at the 1:11 mark to take a 43-42 lead, but Westlake responded by patiently running its offense and getting the ball inside to post Courtney Duever. With a quick move to the basket, Duever sunk a 6-foot shot to give her team the lead.

After a Connally timeout, Smith went to a 1-3-1 zone that featured just one guard in Cherrell Mays and two 6-footers in Duever and reserve Jackie Manzano. That defense, which forced an errant shot by Connally at the end of regulation that would have won the game, again held its ground as the Cougars failed on three shot attempts.

“They are so athletic, and they were pushing and shoving us all night,” Smith said. “I thought Jackie would come in and clog up the middle, and she did.”

Mays also did a good job while covering cat-quick point guard K. K. Jerrell, who countered a 1-of-19 shooting performance by making 10 foul shots.

 

“She’s really quick,” Mays said. “I had to give her at least a foot because I was in foul trouble, too.

“We’re both good teams with strong defenses. We had to battle their pressure all again, and their stalling (on offense) was tough. But we worked in practice to stop that, and it paid off.”

Both defenses gave up points grudgingly. Connally made just 12 of 60 shots but negated that poor percentage by corralling 47 rebounds compared to 35 for Westlake, including 29 offensive boards. Jessica Egwuagu had 10 of her 15 rebounds on the offensive glass to go along with 11 points.

Duever, who joined Caroline Durbin for team-high honors in points with 11, had 15 rebounds for the Chaps.

Mays had 11 points. Backcourt mate Hannah Coley had six points, including consecutive putbacks in a 6-0 Westlake run that tied the game at 41-41 by the end of regulation.

Jerrell’s 12 points led Connally.

 

 

Westlake 44, Connally 43 OT

Westlake    12   8     9     13   2  -  44 

Connally    11   14   11   6     1  -  43 

 

Westlake (25-4, 9-2) – Coley 2-7 2-2 6, Mays 3-7 2-4 8, Ball 1-4 3-4 5, Duever 4-13 3-11 11, Durbin 5-11 0-0 11, Vermillion 0-0 0-0 2, Manzano 1-1 1-1 3, Gomez 0-0 0-0 0, Ambrose 0-0 0-0 0, Bell 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 16-43 11-22 44.

Connally (22-8, 8-3) – Roberts 3-9 1-4 9, White 0-3 0-0 0, Jerrell 1-19 10-13 12, Bell 2-8 0-0 4, Dukes 1-9 0-0 3, Egwuagu 3-5 4-4 10, Caldwell 0-5 0-0 0, Thrower 2-2 1-2 5, Curtis 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 12-60 16-23 43.

 

3-Point goals: Westlake 1-7 (Durbin 1-1, Mays 0-3, Coley 0-3), Connally 3-20 (Roberts 2-4, Dukes 1-5, Jerrell 0-5, Caldwell 0–5). Rebounds: Westlake 35 (Duever 15), Connally 47 (Egwuagu 15). Assists: Westlake 6 (Mays 3), Connally 0. Steals: Westlake 5 (Duever 2), Connally 10 (Jerrell 4). Blocks: Westlake 2 (Ball 1, Duever 1), Connally 1 (Egwuagu). Turnovers: Westlake 16, Connally 14. Total fouls: Westlake 18, Connally 17.