It was an important game for both teams as the Prairie Valley Lady Bulldogs traveled to Saint Jo on Tuesday.
The Lady Bulldogs won a close, low scoring game 31-30 in the final few seconds when Shelby Roof found her way to the rim for a layup despite the team missing starters down the stretch and both teams dealing with foul trouble.
The Lady Panthers came into the game winning their last two games and wanting to make it three to try and stay in the chase for a playoff spot. Prairie Valley came into the Tuesday fresh off of winning its first district game and trying to build something off that momentum The game started slow with a lot of turnovers on both sides. Both teams amped up the perimeter pressure and were jumping passing lanes. Converting those steals to points in transition was a bit tricky though.
There were a lot of whistles early and often for both sides as both teams finished the first quarter in the bonus. Besides an early 3-pointer, Prairie Valley struggled to find offense while Saint Jo were earning points off second chance opportunities, getting the early lead 9-6 in the first quarter.
The Lady Bulldogs suffered a blow when starting post player Taylor Franklin left the game with some sort of leg injury and could not return. Also leading scorer Haley Winkler got into foul trouble and had to sit for a stretch.
In the second quarter though, the Lady Panthers were hit with foul issues that led to many starters having to sit. Prairie Valley took advantage and slowly but surely built a 22-14 lead with two minutes to go before halftime.
Saint Jo put some starters in and Bailey Parker and Kaitline Harris combined to score nine points before halftime to close the gap to 22-21.
The third quarter saw the Lady Bulldogs lose Winkler as she fouled out. With its best shooter and scorer out, Prairie Valley had to rely on its defense as the pressure held the Lady Panthers to only four points in the quarter. The Lady Bulldogs led 29-25 heading into the final quarter.
Saint Jo was able to tie the game up at 29-29 with four minutes to play thanks to offensive rebounding creating second chance opportunities. The Lady Panthers took the lead 30-29 thanks to a free throw from Harris with two minutes to play.
It was a frantic end to the game. Both teams missed shots and turned the ball over back-to-back-to-back in various sequences. Offensive rebounds and put-back chances would not go in.
After a wild sequence of Prairie Valley players just slinging the ball towards the rim and several bounces off players, the ball found its way into the hands of Lady Bulldog point guard Roof.
She picked the opportunity to drive towards the basket amid the chaos and finished with an uncontested layup to give Prairie Valley the lead 31-30 with 17 seconds left.
After a time out, the teams exchanged turnovers and Saint Jo got off a 3-pointer that missed. The Lady Bulldogs rebounded the ball and were able to run out the clock to hold on for the win.
Emily Carpenter finished with a double-double for Prairie Valley as she led the team with 10 points and 14 rebounds. Winkler scored 10 points and Roof finished with five points.
Lady Bulldog Coach Jeannie Carpenter did not think her team played too well despite the win. In such a low scoring game where both teams did some good things while making plenty of mistakes, in the end Carpenter feels like the more poised team took advantage of its opportunity in the end.
For Saint Jo, Parker led the team with 14 points while Harris scored 10 points. Coach Taylor Klement liked how her team played overall, especially on the defensive end.
Prairie Valley starts the second round of district at home at 6 p.m. against Slidell on Jan. 24.
Saint Jo starts the second round at Bellevue at 6 p.m. on Jan. 21.

To read the full story, pick up a copy of the weekend edition of the Bowie News.