Lady Titans win overtime thriller

The McDowell Lady Titans will earn no style points for their gritty 47-44 overtime victory over the Erwin Warriors Friday.

But that didn’t make the victory any less satisfying – or important.

Sixth-ranked McDowell (NCPreps.com) improved to 18-2 overall and 9-0 in the Mountain Athletic 4A/3A Conference and secured at least a share of the split league’s 4A regular-season championship. A Lady Titan win Tuesday against Asheville or a T.C. Roberson loss at Erwin would give McDowell the championship for the second time in three years in the MAC.

It was the 14^th straight win and the second straight in overtime for the Lady Titans, who got some huge plays down the stretch against the Warriors (7-2, 14-5) in a see-saw battle that saw nine ties and 10 lead changes in the second half alone.

Senior guard Taylor Settlemyre (16 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals) – the only McDowell player in double figures – hit a pair of free throws with 5.6 seconds left in overtime to stretch the Lady Titans’ lead to 47-44. Freshman Markia Stacey then stole the inbounds pass to keep Erwin from getting a shot.

Senior Amber Fulbright (7 points, 4 rebounds) had given McDowell the lead for good at 45-43 moments earlier. The Warriors managed just one point in the extra period.

“We got some really good defensive stops down the stretch,” said McDowell head coach Jennifer Brooks. “I thought Kia’s pressure on the ball, especially when they got in foul trouble down the stretch, gave us some momentum.”

Tuccoa Brackett’s defense against Shakira Allen, the Warriors’ leading scorer, was another big factor. Brackett (5 rebounds, 2 steals, 1 assist, 1 block) scored just nine points, but held Allen to only seven on a woeful 2-for-15 shooting performance.

“Tuccoa played a heck of a game on defense against Allen,” Brooks said. “She’s (Allen) a great player, but Tuccoa stepped in there and bodied up with her and did some good things.

“We had some people, like Taylor Settlemyre, who stepped up and made some big shots for us, and Amber Fulbright made some big shots.”

The Lady Titans trailed 16-8 after one quarter, but closed to within 25-22 at halftime to set the stage for the wild second half.

McDowell had a chance to win it in regulation, but Settlemyre’s long 3-pointer was off the mark and the game headed to overtime tied at 43-43.

Neither team scored in the extra period until Fulbright rebounded a Nikki Mills (5 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals) miss and stuck it back in for a 45-43 advantage with 2:27 to go.

A Gina Cantero free throw at the 1:09 mark trimmed the lead to 45-44. Cantero missed the second shot and Allen, who pulled 14 boards, rebounded the miss. But Rachael Johnson (13 points, 7 rebounds) shot an air-ball in the lane.

McDowell had a chance to extend the lead, but Stacey (8 points, 4 steals, 3 assists) missed the front end of a one-and-one with 42 ticks remaining to open the door for Erwin.

The Warriors called timeout with 29 seconds left, and ran the clock down to 10 seconds before Allen drove the lane. But her shot was off, Settlemyre grabbed the rebound, and Erwin sent her to the line with 5.6 seconds remaining.

Settlemyre calmly sank both shots.

Much of the Warriors’ early success came because they out-rebounded McDowell 9-1 on the offensive glass in the first half. After the break, the Lady Titans held even with them at four offensive rebounds apiece. Erwin held a 35-27 edge overall.

Brooks said she was proud of her team’s dedication to remaining at the top of the conference standings.

“Our girls have set that as a goal, to be first in our conference, and I’m proud of their work ethic and how much they’ve committed to this season,” said the first-year head coach. “People don’t realize how many hours these girls put in, and I’m very proud of their heart and how much they want to win.”

Erwin (44) Tanya Ward 0-4 0-0 0, Brooke Garrison 5-11 4-7 15, Rachael Johnson 6-15 0-0 13, Toree Dillingham 1-3 0-0 2, Shakira Allen 2-15 2-2 7, Gina Cantero 2-4 1-2 5, Brittany Smith 1-2 0-0 2, Heather Burton 0-0 0-0 0. Totals: 17-54 7-11 44.

McDowell (47) Nikki Mills 2-12 0-1 5, Amber Fulbright 3-4 0-0 7, Tuccoa Brackett 4-9 1-3 9, Taylor Settlemyre 4-11 7-8 16, Markia Stacey 3-10 1-4 8, Jessica Patrick 1-3 0-0 2, Anna Pittman 0-0 0-0 0. Totals: 17-49 9-16 47.

Erwin                  16   09   10   08   01 – 44

McDowell           08   14   11   10   04 – 47

Rebounds: Erwin (35) McDowell (27) Rebound leaders: Erwin (Allen 15) McDowell (Mills 8) 3-point goals: Erwin (3-20) McDowell (4-13) Erwin (Ward 0-4, Garrison, Johnson 1-3, Dillingham, Cantero 0-1, Allen 1-8) McDowell (Stacey 1-4, Settlemyre 1-5, Mills, Fulbright 1-2) McDowell assist leaders: (Settlemyre, Mills 4) McDowell steals leaders: (Stacey 4) McDowell blocked shot leaders; (Brackett 1) Turnovers: Erwin (22) McDowell (17) Fouled out: Erwin (Garrison :05.6—OT)