Piper Ramey scored a game-high 16 points for the Chargers to help them close out the regular season with a 43-39 OT win over Western Boone.
LINDEN — The North Montgomery girls’ basketball team was not to be stopped in its rematch with the Western Boone Stars, taking a 43-39 overtime victory. The thrilling win, which snapped a three-game losing streak, put the Chargers (12-9, 4-3 in SAC) in sole possession of fourth place in the Sagamore Conference, behind perennial powers Tri-West, Danville, and Lebanon.
North prevented second chances by Western Boone (10-11, 3-4 in SAC) offense, and worked the ball into the paint for a post score by Lydia Dugard and several inside baskets by Piper Ramey to jump out to an 18-10 lead midway through the second quarter. The Chargers continued to hold the lead, taking a 31-27 lead into the fourth quarter.
Western Boone began to chip away against North particularly in the paint, where the Chargers, playing without leading scorer and top post player Katie Rice, began to wear down. Coupled with Dugard being whistled for her fourth foul midway through the third quarter, the Stars took advantage. When Sam Wynkoop hit a three pointer and Ki’erra Koch knocked down a free throw, Western Boone took its first lead at 34-33 with 2:27 remaining.
Western Boone kept up their full court pressure following a strong baseline drive by Katie Rutherford, the teams exchanged layups, and with under one minute remaining, the Stars seemed to have control at 38-35. But the Chargers had other ideas; lane attacks by Madi Welch and Piper Ramey resulted in free throws, with the freshman Ramey coming up with two clutch makes to send the game into overtime. There, it was all Chargers, with a pair of Ramey free throws, a strong layup by Welch, and a Jadelyn Phillips free throw to seal the game.
“Somehow we found a way,” said Chargers’ Coach Ryan Nuppnau, as his squad struggled at the free throw line at 12 of 27. “Fortunately, we got them into foul trouble,” with three Stars ultimately fouling out of the contest.
Ramey had 16 for the Chargers, Welch 14, and Dugard 6.
Emmy Roys tallied 9 for the Stars. The next stop for the Chargers is the Danville sectional, where they will get a rematch with the Crawfordsville Athenians, who they defeated in December.