DCVI senior girls upset Mitchell in triple overtime thriller

Charlotte Richardson puts up a shot during a St. Marys DCVI senior girls basketball game earlier this season. Richardson scored 28 points in the Salukis’ 65-63 triple-overtime victory on Nov. 6.

By Turner Roth

The DCVI Senior Girls Basketball Team triumphed in Mitchell with a come-from-behind 65-63 win in triple overtime on Nov. 6 in their playoff semi-final.

The Salukis started out great, but the tides changed after the first quarter, with Mitchell clawing back to take a 29-24 lead by halftime. Tim O’Connor, who, along with Brian Chalupka, is filling in as guest coach for head coach Monica Ryan, described the events of the first half.

“We got off to a very solid start, we were very patient offensively and we were leading for most of the first half. Then we had a few turnovers and a couple of bad possessions for us, and Mitchell finished by going on a bit of a run. We ended up down five entering the half, but in the second half, we just chipped away and chipped away.”

The second half started with Mitchell continuing their offensive success, scoring the first seven points in the third quarter to go up by 12 points. However, the resilient Salukis didn’t give up, and by the fourth quarter, DCVI’s senior girls had a seven-point lead.

In the dying moments of the game, Mitchell went on a fury, nailing a three-pointer before intense pressure led to a steal and a St. Marys foul. With just two-and-a-half seconds left, Mitchell got to the free-throw line and tied it up.

Despite Mitchell riding high heading into overtime, DCVI played hard defensively, turning Mitchell’s strong suit – their three-ball – into a weakness, with few second-chance opportunities for Mitchell to score, thanks to the great defensive work from Alanna Savile and Raegan Jones.

According to O’Connor, the team’s defensive play was vital to securing the victory.

“We got a lot of defensive stops. We put a big emphasis on not giving up three-pointers because Mitchell is a good shooting team. We wanted to come and close them out, contest them and force them to put the ball on the floor, and when we didn’t do that, we paid a price.

“We played solid defence,” O’Connor continued. “We got some lucky bounces. They had some good looks and the ball didn’t drop for them, and then we didn’t give them many second looks. We rebounded really well. On offence, we just tried to be patient. When we were patient, we were able to work it around and get a better look.”

With the game still tied after two overtimes, the Salukis still refused to quit, battling to go ahead by a slim margin as the clock ticked down in the third extra quarter. Marin Chateauvert made a great defensive play to steal the ball and dribble it out of the St. Marys half to run out most of what little time was left, with the Salukis completing the 65-63 win.

Charlotte Richardson led the scoring for the Salukis with 28 points. Chateauvert tallied 14 points, Savile added 10 and Valentina Urbano scored seven.

O’Connor praised the team’s tenacity and energy, noting those traits got them through the more challenging moments in the game.

“They have a lot of composure, they are a little bit relaxed and patient, and they trust each other,” O’Connor said. “There was a lot of energy and a lot of cheering on the bench, which was fantastic. Holly (Black) was great at that. There were times when the momentum was not going our way, and it seemed like we were just barely hanging on.

“We had girls in foul trouble, so we were trying to defend and battle without picking up those fouls. Our defence kept us in the game and the willingness to roll up our sleeves and continue to battle really helped us. Rebounding was key to our success as well. We found a way to dig in and get the rebounds we needed against a bigger, taller team like Mitchell.”