As her team battled back and forth with visiting Centennial on Wednesday night, Howard sophomore Emileigh Scott took solace in the fact that with four veteran players on the court with her, there was little chance coach Scott Robinson would turn to his youngest starter when the game was on the line.
It might have been that relaxed approach that allowed Scott to hit the biggest shots of the game in Howard's 58-55 triple-overtime win.
"Emileigh was clutch," Robinson said. "Only being a sophomore she had the confidence to put it up there. She's a really good athlete. She worked really hard on her shot over the summer and it showed."
With 13 seconds left in double overtime, Scott took a pass from Jayda Gilmore (15 points) and hit a midrange baseline jumper to tie the game at 47-47. Then, with 45 seconds left in triple overtime, Scott calmly knocked down a three from the top of the key on an outlet pass from fellow sophomore Jenny Kinsey to put her team ahead 56-54. That shot proved to be the game-winner for Howard (3-1).
"The play was not even designed for me. We wanted Jayda to go in and shoot a three or do what she does best, and I was just in the right place at the right time and I felt like I could hit it, so I hit it," said Scott, who finished with 13 points, including seven after regulation. "It felt amazing. It was just the best thing ever. You're just running on adrenaline and just hope that time runs out and you're still winning."
Batterton (12 points) hit two clutch free throws with 11 seconds left to put the Lions ahead 58-55, but Centennial's Ally Driscoll (9 points) drew a foul beyond the arc with one second left to keep the Eagles' hopes alives. The first free throw bounced high off the back of the rim, though, virtually sealing the win for Howard.
"The effort was there on every possession, which is all I could ask for," Centennial coach Bobby Macheel said. "It's tough to lose in triple overtime, but what can you say? It was a tough battled contest."
Eagles senior Anna Mitchell (13 points) scored with less than 30 seconds left in double overtime to put her team ahead 47-45, and freshman Kelly Simmons scored a game-high 16 points with 20 rebounds.
"She's strong. She's a great rebounder," Macheel said. "We're excited about her."
Centennial took a 28-25 lead on a three-pointer by Driscoll assisted by Mitchell with three seconds left in the third quarter.
The Lions led, 35-30, after a 6-0 run (Talley FG, Scott free throws, Batterton FG) with less than four minutes remaining in regulation. But Centennial forced overtime with a Simmons basket, two free throws by Driscoll, and a free throw by Kimmy Eads (9 points) with 1:34 left in the fourth quarter.
Howard took a 41-37 lead late in the first overtime, but two Mitchell free throws and a Jordan Burk (8 points) layup assisted by Mitchell with less than 20 seconds to go sent the game into the second overtime, where Scott took over.
Centennial (3-2) was coming off of its first loss of the season, 62-55, to visiting Thomas Johnson. In that game, Simmons (15) and Mitchell (14) combined for 29 points.
Howard's only loss was to Atholton, 47-41, last week.
"The game with Atholton went right down to the wire, so it was good for us to win a close one," Robinson said. "It's good for us to hit the big shots. It's a positive experience to move on from."
Mt. Hebron is now the last undefeated team in the league, though four teams — Atholton, Centennial, Glenelg and Howard — have just one loss. Howard visits Glenelg on Friday night, while Centennial travels to Atholton.
"I just can't wait for the rest of the season," Scott said. "I feel like we're going to do awesome."
C: Simmons 16; Mitchell 13; Driscoll 9; Eads 9; Burke 8.
Ho: Gilmore 15; Scott 13; Batterton 12; Sims 8; Talley 6; Kinsey 4.
Half: 18-18