Tigers outlast Raiders in OT

Fleetwood’s players, more than anything, needed to keep their composure.

Their eight-point lead heading into the fourth quarter was gone. They missed four free throws in the final two minutes.

By all accounts, they should have been unlacing their sneakers after the horn sounded at the end of regulation. Instead, they were staring at overtime.

Fleetwood held it together and outlasted Twin Valley 40-37 in a non-league girls basketball game at home Wednesday night.

“I wouldn’t want to be in there if we didn’t come out on top,” coach Matt Kellett said, gesturing toward the locker room. “We had the game almost won.” Almost.

Julia Kaskey, Alexis Baez and Amy Flannery each had baskets in the OT and the Tigers held Twin Valley without a field goal. Then it actually was won.

Kaskey helped her teammates shake off any nervous feelings that might have been lingering after the final minutes transpired.

“Mostly I just wanted to keep the team settled,” she said. “I just tried to keep everybody calmed down. Make sure we have a clear head. Run through our plays and just stay strong.”

All signs pointed toward a defensive battle between two of the stingiest teams in the league and that’s what materialized.

When Fleetwood headed into the final eight minutes with a 25-17 advantage, the Tigers had to like their chances. That looked comfortable in this kind of game.

Twin Valley has been through it all before. Four of the Raiders’ starters have returned after being the runner-up in District

3 Class 5A last season. They weren’t going to stop pushing.

They dug deep and clawed their way back.

Ava Morrow scored 10 of her team-high 17 points in the fourth quarter. Natali Foster, a defensive marvel all night, scored on a transition layup with seven seconds left to tie it at 34-34. She had 13 points.

Twin Valley (8-2), which trailed almost from the opening tip, had new life heading into overtime. The Raiders ultimately couldn’t find enough offense to extend their five-game winning streak.

Fleetwood deserves credit. It refused to let it slip away.

“This was really good to pull out,” Kaskey said. “This was one of the bigger teams outside of our division. It was really good for our confidence. This will help us move further.”

Fleetwood (7-2) has won five in a row since back-to-back nonleague losses to Elco and Manheim Central.

The Tigers missed two weeks of practice during the preseason and nearly four more weeks when play was paused. It’s understandable it has taken some time for them to find their rhythm.

“We’re a totally different team,” Kellett said. “Confidence is there. We’re putting the ball in the basket and everybody is finding everybody.”

Kaskey finished with 15 points. Alexis Hess had 10 points, eight rebounds and six assists.

It was the best win of the season for Fleetwood, which has a showdown with Berks III coleader Wyomissing next week.

“We tried to give it to them a couple of times,” Kellett said. “That’s just all-around experience. That was a good test for them to be in that situation and for us to come out on top.”