Central Bucks survives Souderton challenge in OT
The Central Bucks West girls basketball team keeps finGLnJ ZDyV WR ZLn, DV WKH short-handed Bucks held off a strong challenge by rival Souderton Area and prevailed in overtime, 47-44, Friday night.
Mackenzie Carroll was a force at both ends for West and scored four of her nine points in overtime to help the Bucks improve to 3-0 in the Suburban One’s Continental Conference.
Carroll sank a pair of free throws to put West up 43-41 in the OT and then hit another pair with 42 seconds left in the period to increase the lead to 45-41.
“I was like, ‘you can do this.’ That’s what I told myself,” Carroll said. “I just tried to not listen to anything around me.”
After West’s Peyton Traina added the last two of her team-high 11 points to put the Bucks up 47-41, Katie O’Connor nailed a three to bring the Indians (2-3 overall, 1-2 conference) within three with 2.7 seconds to go. Souderton got a chance to tie it when the inbounds throw by West went out of bounds.
The Big Red’s Bianca Picard got free for an open look at a three but could not connect, and the Bucks (5-1) held on for a spirited win on their home court.
Carroll, who often has to guard the other team’s top player, was able to hold the talented Picard to nine points on the night.
“She’s been great for us,” West coach Terry Rakowsky said of Carroll. “We have her manning up on the best point guards in the conference, and she’s got to provide the offense, and she’s got to lead from the point. We’re asking a lot of her now and she just keeps stepping up every night.”
The Bucks led by as many DV 10 Ln WKH fiUVW KDOI DnG DIter a Souderton rally, West ZHnW uS 41-39 Ln WKH finDO minute of regulation on a jumper by Traina.
Allison Gallagher, who put in a game-high 14 points, scored on a layup on the other end to knot it up at 41-41 and send the game to OT.
West was able to get control back in the overtime, but O’Connor’s three gave the Big Red one last chance.
“Katie O’Connor stepped up big time for us,” Indians coach Lynn Carroll said. “She mostly plays the wing for us and we asked her to play a different role for us tonight. She was great. That’s not a close game if Katie didn’t step up the way that she did tonight. We’ve got to look within ourselves and realize that this is the third close game we’ve lost, and ZH’YH JRW WR fiJuUH RuW ZKDW we’re going to do about it, to make sure the next one goes our way.”
Souderton is in action again Thursday at the Wissahickon Tournament while West travels down to Virginia for the Boo Williams Tournament, which also begins Thursday.
“It was a great win before the holidays,” Rakowsky said of Friday’s victory.
“Hopefully we’ll keep it up,” Mackenzie Carroll said.