BELLVILLE — When the defense broke down, Lexington’s eraser saved the day.
Avery Coleman partially blocked a shot by Clear Fork’s Morgan Galco as time expired and Lady Lex held on for a 43-42 double-overtime win Tuesday at Les Hauenstein Gymnasium.
The 6-foot-1 Coleman got just a fingertip on Galco’s driving layup attempt, but it was enough to alter the shot and preserve the win for Lady Lex.
“We were supposed to be in full court man, but … it ended up being a one-on-two situation,” first-year Lexington coach Jessica Brokaw said. “But if I were to pick any player to be guarding the rim in a two-on-one situation, it would be Coleman because of her length.
“She got her fingertip on that ball and made it a little short.”
Kali Weikle gave Clear Fork (6-9) a 42-40 lead when she connected on a pair of free throws with 2:35 remaining in the second four-minute extra session. It would stay that way until Coleman tied it with a layup off a Gabby Stover assist with 1:22 remaining.
The score remained deadlocked until the final seconds, when Coleman was fouled after an offensive rebound and putback attempt. She split the pair of free throws to give Lady Lex (7-7) a 43-42 advantage with six seconds left.
“When we need big rebounds, Avery comes up with them,” Brokaw said. “She left that first free throw short, but was able to sink the second one.”
Clear Fork called timeout to set up a final play. The ball eventually ended up in the hands of Galco, who scored a game-high 18 points.
“We got the ball into the hands of the person we wanted,” Clear Fork coach Randy Pore said. “We couldn’t ask for anything better. We gave ourselves a chance.”
The wild final sequence capped a back-and-forth affair that featured eight lead changes and six ties. Lady Lex led by six points in the first quarter, while Clear Fork’s biggest lead was 24-19 midway through the third.
“It was an entertaining game,” Pore said. “That was our first overtime game of the year so I wasn’t quite sure how the girls would respond.”
Coleman led Lexington with 16 points, while Stover added 12. Lizzie Hamler scored five of her nine in overtime.
Galco scored a game-high 18 points for the Colts. Weikle added 10 while Brooke Robinson had six.
