Two Overtime Adventure

Being tied at the end of regulation play and having to go into overtime is nerve-wracking for any team, but imagine doing so carrying a 109 game winning streak with you. That is just what the Lady Vikings did on Jan. 19, 1971 in Warner Robins, Georgia. Two overtimes later our winning streak was still intact. Our nerves were probably not! Thank goodness this was our only overtime adventure during the whole streak.

Coach Carter told me this was one of the most amazing games during the streak to him. He said we had fallen behind 31 - 23 at the start of the fourth quarter and he remembered thinking as he looked at the scoreboard, "If we've only scored 23 points this whole game, how are we going to score 9 to catch up in the amount of time remaining." Somehow, someway, we managed to catch up and at the end of the game the score was tied 34 - 34 and we went into the first overtime.

In the first two minute overtime we swapped baskets back and forth, with each team scoring at will, and we ended tied once again. The score was 42-all.

The second two minute overtime we forged ahead 46 - 45 with 34 seconds left. Just as we had practiced so many times, we froze the ball with Sandra and Shirley handling it. Sandra was fouled and made one of two. With nine seconds left we led 47-45 and they got the rebound. They went to the other end and WR's Janice Murphy had a shot at the basket. The ball hit the rim and bounced off. The final whistle sounded as the referees called a jump ball. We had won!