Fourth-quarter rally gives Lady Pirates overtime win over Serena

OTTAWA – No one expected the Ottawa Lady Pirates to be on top of their game right away after this messed-up year and a short prep, and that showed through the first three quarters in their season opener against Serena on Friday night in Kingman Gym.

The shooting wasn’t there, the defense was lackluster, and the energy level left a little to be desired.

But then in the fourth quarter, things suddenly started falling into place, and before they knew it, they had a pretty memorable win to celebrate.

The Lady Pirates trailed the Lady Huskers by 14 points in the first three minutes of the fourth quarter, but thanks to a 13-0 run capped by Zoe Harris’ putback of her own miss with 20.6 seconds left, the game was tied at 36.

In overtime, Ella Marvel shook off her shooting woes and drained a 3-pointer from the right wing to put OHS ahead, but it took a wild, backward layup on a drive in the lane by Gabi Krueger with 12.2 seconds showing to lift the Lady Pirates to a 42-39 victory.

After a free throw from Serena’s Katie Baker, a basket by Taylor Staton with 33.9 seconds to go offset the Marvel 3 and knotted the score at 39 before the 5-foot-3 Krueger drove the lane and flipped the ball backward over her head for the winning score.

Marvel added a free throw with 1.5 seconds remaining to create the final score and finish off her team-best 15 points, although on chilly 4-for-16 shooting that included some easy tries she doesn’t normally miss. That affected the rest of the team, which shot 20.6% (7 for 34) through three quarters but went 4 for 9 to start the fourth.

“For the first three quarters, it was just a matter that they were playing harder,” Ottawa coach Brent Moore said. “Serena’s a very well-coached team, and every loose ball, they got. They rebounded better than us, and really, we couldn’t buy a shot. There was just a lid on the rim for us most of the night.

“But it still felt like it was just a matter of time, that a breath of fresh air would help get the basketball through the hoop. Once the ball went in a few times, our defensive intensity picked up, and we were able to get to playing the way we wanted to play for four quarters. … Once we got our legs under us and saw the basketball go in a few times, the confidence started to come back.”

A Marvel bomb was all OHS could muster in trailing the Lady Huskers, 9-3, thanks to four points from Staton and three from Paisley Twait. Harris netted seven points in the second to keep the home team within 18-16 at the half, but Staton’s three buckets and a free throw, the latter with 5:14 showing in the fourth, widened the Serena lead to 34-20. Staton finished with 15 points, Baker with 13.

But a three-point play by Maddie Carroll started the comeback, and she was one of six Lady Pirates to score in that 13-0, game-tying burst capped by the clutch Harris basket, setting up the wild OT.

“We just don’t have a whole lot of depth, and we got tired there at the end, started reaching, missed a whole lot of bunnies in the fourth quarter and overtime,” Serena coach Jim Jobst said. “We came in knowing that conditioning was going to be an issue, but that’s magnified when you only go six deep. We got winded and started making some mental mistakes. Until we get into shape, we’re gonna have games like this.

“Still, I thought we handled Ottawa’s pressure pretty well tonight. Ottawa is just really balanced across the board, and that’s a good way to be as a team. You might stop one, but another will get you.”