Bryan Station’s Elayna Ward converted a 3-pointer from the left wing as time expired, giving Bryan Station a 41-40 victory over visiting Madison Southern on Wednesday night.
“We didn’t give up. We played hard until the end,” Ward said after her teammates flocked to the stands to cheer her after scoring the winning goal on a throw-in with just two seconds left.
Bryan Station and Madison Southern traded leads on short runs throughout the game, and it looked like the Eagles might pull away with the win after Laci Sandlin’s fastbreak layup gave Madison Southern a 39-38 lead with 1:55 left.
Bryan Station struggled to respond the rest of the way. The Defenders had to foul Ashlan Estepp to stay in the game. Estepp hit one of two free throws with 24.7 seconds left to take a 40-38 lead.
A scramble on the court forced Madison Southern to take a jump ball with six seconds left, but Bryan Station retained possession. Akiyah Ward’s 3-point attempt from the left corner on the ensuing throw-in missed and was deflected out of bounds by an Eagles defender with two seconds left.
Bryan Station coach Serena Sandusky took a timeout to prepare the Defenders’ final attempt.
“Well, originally AB (Albertine Cyuzuzo) was supposed to do a tip-in, but she wasn’t free,” Ward said. “I rolled into the corner and was free.”
Ward took Chloe Do’s throw-in and started. It felt good.
“It was in,” she said with a smile. She scored all six points from behind the three-point line.
Cyuzuzo led Bryan Station with 15 points. Kailyn Gentry and Wade each contributed eight points.
With the win, Bryan Station improved its season record to 9-5 and remained undefeated at 5-0 in 11th Region play. The Defenders will next face Lafayette on Friday.
Sandlin led the Eagles with 21 points. Madison Southern (7-6) played without standout sophomore Hadley French, who was reportedly resting because of a sprained ankle.
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