Jefferson junior Brooke Hesseling defends against Allen East’s Kaycee Rowe Thursday night at The Corral of Allen East HS. Rowe led the way for the host Mustangs with 15 as they grabbed a 5-point OT thriller.

The visiting Lady Wildcats hit a layup late in the fourth period to force overtime but the host Lady Mustangs outscored their guests 11-6 to secure a 56-51 triumph.
“We played a lot better the second half than the first, especially defensively. That got us back in the game,” Jefferson mentor Dave Hoffman said. “Our man-to-man defense was more effective than our 1-2-2 zone and we kept battling back; that was good to see. We forced overtime but just didn’t have enough to finish at the end.”
Tied at 48-all starting the extra four minutes, Allen East (10-8, 5-3 NWC) drew first blood on a 3-point play by sophomore Carly Clum (9 markers) at 3:45. The Lady ’Cats (7-13, 3-5 NWC) tied it on a 3-ball by junior Hannah Sensibaugh (9 points, 5 boards, 5 steals) at 2:30. Junior Kaycee Rowe (15 counters, 9 boards, 5 steals) put in a tough inside shot at 1:52 to give the Mustangs the lead for good. The Wildcats followed with a turnover and a missed shot around a missed shot by the hosts and then Clum was fouled with 47.3 ticks on the board. She calmly drained two singles for a 4-point spread. Junior Makayla Binkley (12 counters, 3 assists, 3 steals) hit a bomb with 30 ticks on the board to draw the Red and White within one. Junior Lindsi Woods went back-door for a layin at the 15-tick mark and after Jefferson misfired on a potential game-tying trey, Clum was fouled with 4.0 seconds showing. She hit both tosses (Allen East was 17-of-20 for the game for 85%) to seal the deal.