By BY BRUCE HIXON – sports editor
They were tied at halftime, tied after the third quarter, tied at the end of regulation and tied again after the first overtime.
Andalusia finally shook free from the T.R. Miller Lady Tigers in the second overtime, as it registered a 45-42 victory Friday that wrapped up the top seed and the right to host next month's Class 4A Area 2 Tournament.
T.R. Miller (9-8 overall and 4-2 in Area play) could have forced a tie for the top spot with a win, which would have resulted in a coin toss. Instead the Lady Tigers fell into the second spot in the seedings and a first-round Area Tournament matchup with Hillcrest.
Two three-pointers by Mynetra Boley in the final 50 seconds of regulation rescued the Lady Tigers from a four-point deficit and forced overtime, but T.R. Miller managed just three points combined in the two overtime sessions.
Lady Bulldogs sophomore center Blanche Alverson gave the Lady Tigers fits during the first nine minutes when she scored 11 of her team's first 13 points and led Andalusia to a 13-8 lead.
Kesha Peterson, who led the Lady Tigers with 16 points, rallied T.R. Miller with a field goal from the wing, a layup on a fastbreak and two free throws in the final four minutes of the first half to force a 21-21 deadlock.
The Lady Bulldogs regained a 26-21 lead when they scored the first five points of the second half. Peterson rallied the Lady Tigers again with three buckets in a four-minute stretch, the last of which knotted the score again at 28-28 headed into the fourth quarter.
T.R. Miller took its first lead at the 7:16 mark of the fourth quarter when two free throws by Donya Grice put the visitors up 31-30. The Lady Tigers also took a 33-32 advantage moments later when two free throws by Peterson put T.R. Miller ahead for the final time.
Three straight turnovers by the Lady Tigers resulted in a field goal by Anjelica White followed by a free throw and basket by Chelsea Carlson that gave Andalusia a 37-33 lead.
Boley brought the Lady Tigers to within 37-36 when she drained a trey with 50 seconds left. She hit another with 30 seconds left that tied the game at 39-39 after Carlson had made it a three-point lead with a pair of free throws moments earlier.
Three minutes went by in the first overtime before either team scored. White gave the Lady Bulldogs a 41-39 lead with a field goal three minutes into the extra session, but Grice tied it at 41-41 with two free throws with 32 seconds left.
Andalusia took the lead again, this time for good, with 2:41 left in the second overtime when a free throw by White put the Lady Bulldogs up 42-41.
Alverson, who had scored just four points since her early 11-point binge, hit a huge baseline jumper 10 seconds later that extended the lead to 44-41.
Peterson scored T.R. Miller's lone point in the second overtime with 2:06 left when she hit one of two free throws, but Carlson got that point back with a charity toss that made it 45-42 with 1:33 left.
The Lady Tigers are off until Friday when they host Monroe County at 5:30 p.m.
At Andalusia
T.R. Miller 6 15 7 11 2 1 - 42
Andalusia 11 10 7 11 2 4 - 45
T.R. MILLER (2FG-3FG-FT-TP) Peterson 6-0-4-16; Boley 2-2-0-10; Grice 2-0-3-7; Williams 0-2-0-6; Green 1-0-1-3 (Totals: 11-4-8-42)
ANDALUSIA (2FG-3FG-FT-TP) Alverson 8-0-1-17; Carlson 3-0-8-14; White 3-0-1-7; Peacock 1-0-3-5; Lawrence 1-0-0-2 (Totals: 16-0-13-45)