High Point girls basketball season ends in triple OT thriller

Forty four minutes, that's how much time ticked off the clock in the Class A Upper State title game between High Point and Denmark-Olar on Saturday afternoon at Bob Jones University.

The three overtime periods – at four minutes a pop – essentially added an extra quarter and half to this game that saw various lead changes in crucial moments, a buzzer beater and overall, high-octane basketball with all the stakes that come with the chance to play for a state championship.

It felt as if everyone at Davis Field House was either on their feet or on the edge of their seat for the last portion of this instant classic that saw Denmark-Olar defeat High Point, 62-58.

"I'm proud of them, we fought through three overtimes and just came up a little bit short. It hurts really bad, but I'm so proud of them," said High Point girls basketball coach Grace Franklin. "We were down in every one those quarters and we came back, from regulation to the two overtimes, we were down but came back right at the end. It was all about heart, and they wouldn't give up."

To call this Upper State final a 'back-and-forth game' would not to do it justice, this matchup was like a seesaw the size of the Golden Gate Bridge bouncing up and down in the middle of a Category 5 hurricane force winds.

From the tip, the Vikings took the upper hand and every time they felt like they were going to create a comfortable lead over High Point, the Grizzlies clawed their way back to keep the ball game going and going and going some more.

Coming out for the second half, Denmark-Olar's was able to push their halftime lead to as much as seven points with just 1:48 left in the third, and they were able to keep that lead for most of the fourth quarter, being up 45-37 with just 1:25 left to play...or so we thought.

This is when that whole seesawing in a hurricane simile kicks in, High Point turns up their game to another gear and goes on a 7-1 run to cut Denmark-Olar's down to two, 46-44 for the Vikings with just 10.8 left in the fourth quarter.

That's when High Point junior Ke'Derrah Beason went to work.

Senior guard Adiyah Owens inbounds the ball from the sideline near mid-court into Beason who worked through a double-team and delivered a one-handed pass to cutting junior center Olivia Martin who finished with her left hand to tie the game at 46 and send it overtime.

Again, Denmark-Olar got the better of High Point taking the lead in OT and holding it until the final minute of the period.

With the Grizzlies down 50-46, and the Vikings with possession of the ball, it looked like High Point would either have to foul or Denmark-Olar would dribble out the clock. Neither happened and High Point's Owens stole the ball at half-court and took it all the way home for a lay-in to bring the score to 50-48 with 1:04 left in the period.

Denmark-Olar then took considerable time off the clock before a High Point foul with just 11.4 seconds left. If they Vikings hit both free throws, it could be enough to ice the game. They miss both and High Point pulled down the rebound and called a timeout with 10 seconds remaining.

Owens took the inbounds pass and started to dribble down court, but right before she's able to cross half court Denmark-Olar intentionally fouled her to force another inbounds pass, given it was not a shooting foul, and took another 5.1 seconds off the clock.

Beason then caught the inbound pass in the painted area, and went straight up over her left shoulder with a baby hook from about eight feet out. The shot bounced off the back the rim, but Martin grabbed the board and put it straight back up and in to tie the game at 50 as he buzzer went off to send the game into to double overtime.

Again, Denmark-Olar got the better of High Point taking the lead in the second OT and held it until 22.5 seconds was left on the clock. The Viking were up four points, but High Point wasn't going down without a fight.

Owens then found junior guard Marina Gallaher who hit a mid-range two to cut the lead to 56-54 with 13.6 left. Denmark-Olar inbounded the ball and advanced to mid-court where Owens poked it out of the Vikings hands, bounced off Martin and landed in Beason's hands and she sprinted from half court with the clock ticking down.

With just 1.9 seconds left and her team down two points, Beason, inside the 3-point line, took one more dribble released the ball from her right hand with just .7 seconds left and the balled bounced off the center of the backboard with just .2 secondfell through the net as the buzzer sounded, sending the into triple overtime tied at 56.

And yet again, Denmark-Olar got the better of High Point taking the lead in the third overtime, but this time High Point didn't have enough in the tank for a fourth miracle comeback and the Vikings survived an absolute battle to punch their ticket to state championship game.

"I can't take anything from the Denmark-Olar, they had a game plan and they pretty much stuck to it," Franklin said. "They got key rebounds at the end on both sides, especially on the offensive side … but we fought hard and we played well. I'm so proud of our team and we'll be back next year."

If history is any indicator, High Point will be back next year.

In Franklin's tenure as the Grizzlies coach, they've reached the Upper State championship every year. Along with Franklin's guidance and a roster that returns four starters and 10 players overall – including Beason, their leading scorer – High Point will have all the ingredients to be right back here next February.

High Point finished the season as Region 1-A champions with a 12-1 region record and a 16-11 overall record.

This article originally appeared on Herald-Journal: High Point girls basketball fall in triple OT for Upper State title