Bridgeport gave top-seeded North Marion everything it wanted and more in Wednesday’s Class AA quarterfinal game at the state tournament at the Charleston Coliseum and Convention Center.

 

The Huskies escaped being the first No. 1 to lose to a No. 8 in the girls state tournament by pulling out a 58-49 victory in overtime.

 

Escape may even be putting it lightly as the Huskies saw a three-point lead with 1:01 left in regulation disappear on a huge 3-pointer from Gabby Reep. The Huskies then nearly saw their season end as Reep received a pass from Madie Wilson and went in for a layup in traffic with just two seconds left. The ball rattled in and out of the rim and fell to the floor to force overtime.

 

BHS coach Herman Pierson said after North Marion defeated Bridgeport, 92-45, in the regular season that he thought the Huskies were the No. 1 team in AA for a reason but he also didn’t think they were 40 points better than the Indians. On Wednesday, the entire state saw why.

 

“We played a lot better than we did the first time,” Pierson said. “You can’t ask for a much better game down here than that. We had a shot to win it at the end, it just wouldn’t go. We had a great game plan and I’m so proud of these kids, they just continued to get better.”

 

Taylor Buonamici led North Marion, which improved to 25-1, with 23 points, while freshman guard Olivia Toland added 15. That duo combined to score 11 of North Marion’s 15 points in overtime.

 

“I think we finally started playing with a sense of urgency in overtime,” North Marion coach Mike Parrish said. “I know we didn’t score much in the fourth quarter, but I didn’t realize it was only three points. Three points in a quarter is probably the fewest we have had in a quarter in 10 years.”

 

Giving teams fit from their defensive effort is something the Indians have done all season, especially in the past month or so and it was evident right from the start that the trend would continue in Charleston.

 

The Huskies built a 8-2 lead 5:16 into the first quarter before the Indians went on 10-0 run. Annamarie Pinti hit a 3-pointer to make it 8-7, Reep hit consecutive layups and Pinti went 1-of-2 from the line to close out the first and give the Indians a four-point lead.

 

Buonamici started heating up in the second quarter after missing her first six shots and after she hit a jumper in the paint and a 3 with 1:51 left in the half, the Huskies were back on top 20-16.

 

Wilson responded with a jumper to make it a two-point game. After the Tribe forced a turnover, Pinti hit another big 3 to give Bridgeport a 21-20 lead.

 

“I think I just started shooting with more confidence,” Pinti said. “I hit some big shots the past couple of games then hit a couple more down here.”

 

Buonamici hit a pair of free throws to give North Marion a 22-21 lead at halftime but the Indians, who finish the season at 13-13, had already proved that this was not going to be a walk into the semifinals for the Huskies.

 

There were four lead changes in the third quarter before the Huskies got a little bit of breathing room by going on 6-0 run to close the quarter and make it 40-33.

 

Pinti’s third 3-pointer opened the fourth and brought the Indians within four. Paige Humble’s jumper with 5:58 left made it a two-point game at 40-38.

 

Buonamici provided the only fourth-quarter points for the Huskies at the 3:30 mark with a 3 that made it 43-38.

 

Humble hit another jumper with 3:03 to go to bring the Indians within three at 43-30. That would be all the scoring until Reep’s 3 with 1:01 to go that tied it and forced overtime.

 

“I knew I just had to get a shot to go in,” Reep said. “I got a good look and it went. Then the layup at the end, I got free and it was a tough shot that just wouldn’t fall.”

 

Pinti led the Indians with 12 points, while Reep and Humble joined her in double figures with 11 and 10, respectively. Reep also had five assists and four steals.

 

Wilson and Hannah Bartlett each added eight points.

 

Wilson gave one of the gutsiest performances in state tournament history. In addition to eight points, she had seven rebounds, five assists, two steals and a blocked shot — on a torn ACL she has played with all season long.

 

“Being a senior I just wanted it to end it on the court,” Wilson said.

 

Wilson's layup with 1:50 left in overtime pulled the Indians to within two at 49-47. The Huskies sealed the victory by closing OT on a 9-2 run. 

 

The loss also brings an end to Bridgeport’s run in Class AA. The Indians won the Class AA state title in 2013 and made the state tournament a total of six times. This year’s appearance marked the fourth consecutive trip to Charleston for the Indians.

 

Next year, the BHS girls will be in Class AAAA as basketball moves to a two-year trial period with a quad A setup.

 

North Marion will face either Lincoln or Nitro in the semifinals at 1:30 p.m. Friday.

 

Editor's Note: Top photo features Gabby Reep, second one shows Annamarie Pinti, third one features Paige Humble and the bottom one shows Madie Wilson. All photos by Ben Queen for www.benqueenphotography.com