Double overtime thriller nets Orioles second win in a row

​Rae Montgomery hit a shot with only a couple seconds left in the second overtime to give Rocky Grove a 47-45 victory in a barnburner with fellow Class A rural school Jamestown Tuesday night at the Nest.

Montgomery recorded a game-high 26 points, including five of the team’s seven in the second overtime of the two-hour game.

After a slow start, the Orioles took control of the game to end the first quarter with a 13-9 lead. The second quarter was a defensive battle. Rocky Grove managed only three points but held the Muskies to zero.

Coming back from the locker room, the teams traded short point runs and the Orioles maintained at 24-19 lead and some momentum as Montgomery connected for two points right before the third-quarter buzzer.

The fourth quarter started a true back-and-forth battle of shots and fouls as Jamestown started to close in on Rocky Grove. With less than a minute to go, the Muskies took the lead again for the first time since the 4-minute mark of the first quarter. The teams traded foul shot opportunities before Rocky Grove’s Zoe Cresswell left the game after being injured during a foul. Her sister, Paige took the line for her to pull the Orioles within 1 point with only 20 seconds left in regulation.

After a steal on the inbound pass by Aislynne Anderson and a quick time out with 17-seconds on the clock the Orioles drove to the basket where a big scramble for the ball found junior Faith Copley fouled and headed to the line with a chance to put them ahead. She hit one of two to tie the game at 30 with only a second left in play.

In the first 4-minute overtime period, the teams traded baskets as they scrambled up and down the court at a fairly quick pace. This time it was Jamestown that sunk the tying foul shot with only a second left of play. It was 40-up at the end of 36 minutes of play.

Zoe Cresswell came back into the game nursing a sore hip for the second overtime period and she and Montgomery powered the Orioles offense while Anderson controlled Jamestown’s top shooter, Alayna Cadman, on defense. Anderson, a freshman, was tasked by head coach Brad Clayton with sticking to Cadman like glue all game.

With only a few seconds remaining, Rocky Grove inbounded the ball from their sideline. A quick pass to Montogomery gave her a chance to push to the hoop for the game-winner.

“That is a big win, not only because of the overtime, but because that's the single A district champs from last year that they just beat,” head coach Brad Clayton said.

Clayton pointed to not just the play of his starters, Montgomery, Anderson, Zoe Cresswell, Lydia Kennedy and Emily Rice, but the importance of the bench in securing a win in such a physical game. On Tuesday, that bench support came from Copley, Gracie Rayburn and Paige Cresswell.

“Gracie stepping in there at the end, getting some big, big rebounds in the overtime periods,” he said. “(Copley) just grinds through everything and she’s such a tough defensive player. And she is 100 percent all the time, no matter what.”

Scoring for Rocky Grove Tuesday were Montgomery, 26 points; Z. Cresswell, 6; Kennedy, 6; Anderson 3, P. Cresswell, 3; Rayburn, 2 and Copey, 1.

Clayton credits the team’s improved ball control, increased confidence in taking shots, and good basketball IQ by some of the younger players with helping them accomplish a 2-1 start to the season.
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“It’s such a team effort with this group. I’m just so proud of them and how they battle and they believe in each other,” Clayton said. “We’re changing the narrative. We are headed in the right direction.”

Rocky Grove gets a few days to practice before meeting up with Iroquois for their next game on Saturday. ​​