Mayfield shrugged off its first-half struggles and outlasted host Lake Catholic to secure a 51-49 overtime win over the Cougars on Wednesday.
The Wildcats trailed at halftime, 20-13, but put together a strong second half and then found a way to win in overtime.
“We got really great shots early that just weren’t going in,” said Mayfield coach Cullen Harris. “We preach to the girls that you may miss five in a row, but you may make the next five, so we came out in the second half and picked up the pressure a little bit defensively and we played a little bit faster to help us get into a rhythm.”
Mayfield sank just one field goal in the first quarter and Gabby Moore drained three free throws as Lake Catholic jumped out to a 10-5 lead.
The Wildcats continued to struggle from the field in the second quarter, but Nav Buttar did hit a 3-pointer and Olivia Williams and Alex DiPippo both scored two points to keep Mayfield within striking range at the break.
Mayfield’s fortunes changed in the third quarter as Buttar, DiPippo, and Jenna D’Angelo each hit from behind to lead the Wildcats to a 15-point quarter and a 28-28 tie.
“We couldn’t hit the ocean if we fell out of a boat in the first half, but the girls kept believing in themselves, kept moving the ball, and kept playing together and made some shots,” Harris said.
Moore then scored five of her 12 in the fourth quarter and Buttar was 4-for-4 from the free throw line as the Wildcats built a 44-41 lead with less than a minute remaining in the game.
“It was very exciting to get back in the first half,” Buttar said. “We are very lucky to have the coaching staff that we do this season. I appreciate my teammates and coaches so much; we always pick each other back up and that’s what we did after the first half. It was all teamwork.”
Knowing the Cougars needed a 3-pointer to tie the game, the Wildcats opted to use its remaining fouls but one of those fouls turned into an intentional foul that sent the Cougars to the free throw line and gave them the ball after they hit one of two tries.
Trailing 44-42, Carmella Sowers hit a game-tying shot with three seconds left to send the game into overtime.
The confidence the Wildcats gained in the second half paid off in overtime.
D’Angelo scored four of her 12 and Moore added three free throws to help the Wildcats outscore the Cougars, 7-5, to seal their second straight win of the season.
Buttar, D’Angelo, and Moore each finished with a team-high 12 points for the Wildcats and DiPippo and Williams finished with seven and six points, respectively. Hailey Inmon contributed with two points.
“In the first half, we had good looks but nothing was falling. I missed a lot of shots, it messed with me mentally, but my teammates and coaches encouraged all of us to keep shooting and hustling,” Buttar said. “Stepping up for my team and with my team means a lot to me. I did what I had to do. Even though it was messy in the first half, my teammates and I didn’t give up. I’m proud of us.”
Mia Sassano led Lake Catholic with a game-high 18 points and Sowers finished with 13 for the Cougars, who fell to 2-1.
