Lenape pulls out overtime win over Williamstown

With three seconds left in regulation, her team down by two points, Alex Seedes was whistled for a charge under the basket.

The Lenape girls' basketball team had blown a nine-point lead during a chaotic, emotional final period against Williamstown. And that final charge call would surely put the game out of reach.

For some Lenape players, frustration boiled over in that moment - they scuffled with opposing players near the baseline. Others stood idle, stunned and dejected.

"I just never stopped believing. I just kept my mind totally clear," Seedes said later, after the charge call was reversed, changed to a blocking foul. The reversal put Seedes on the foul line, where she drained two free throws to send the game into overtime, helping her Indians escape with a 58-51 win at home on Saturday afternoon.

"It was nerve-racking," Seedes said, "but we wanted this win so bad, and we all came through."

Point guard Taylour Jones shined in overtime for Lenape, recording two steals and five of her team-leading 14 points. All of that after she missed a foul shot that would have given her team the lead with 50 seconds left in regulation.

"You just have to keep battling," said Jones, who noted that this was a particularly sweet victory as Williamstown (1-2) knocked Lenape (3-0) out of the sectional playoffs last season. "Things got a little bit out of control toward the end. But my coach [Rob Hummel] did a great job of calming us down, and we were able to pull out the win."

Both teams battled foul trouble for most of the second half. By the time the game was over, most of the stars for both had fouled out, including Taylor Bynoe and Julia Dixon for Williamstown and Alexis Sears for Lenape.

The Indians' depth was crucial in overtime.

"Different girls had to step up," Hummel said. "It was a wild game, but both teams played really hard."

Lenape held a lead that hovered around double digits for most of the first three quarters. But a gutsy 10-0 run by Williamstown to open the final period set the stage for the late fireworks.

Before fouling out, Dixon shined for the Braves in the fourth quarter. She scored eight of her team-leading 17 points and made 6 of 8 free throws in the final period.

"Both teams played so hard for 32 minutes," said Williamstown coach Karen Dilmore. "It's just a shame that the final call in the fourth quarter was such a momentum-changer."

Williamstown 7 10 14 16 4 - 51

Lenape 14 11 15 7 11 - 58

W: Julia Dixon 17, Amber Anderson 4, Taylor Bynoe 14, Ciani Carter 12, Karla Johnson 4.

L: Rene Carabases 8, Alex Seedes 13, Alexis Sears 3, Taylour Jones 14, Mackenzi McErlean 8, Maddie Sims 10, Alicia Hampton 2.