SG Basketball: Barnburner in Drummondville

First your Spartans exploded out of the gate, scoring 7 unanswered points to tie the game at 21. Then Marie-Rivier responded with a 9-point run of their own, making it 30-21 in the middle of the third quarter.

And then all hell broke loose, led by Player Of The Game Mariama Barry, who took the game over with a relentlessly attacking mindset and a series of fast-break Eurosteps, circus layups, rebounds and loose balls. We’re not sure what got into her, but when the dust cleared, Mariama had scored 11 points in the third quarter and helped the Red & White turn a 9-point deficit into a 38-33 lead with their most dominant run (17-3) of the season.

But this crazy game wasn’t close to over, as Marie-Rivier answered Hurricane Barry with a 7-0 run to start the fourth. Just like that we’re down again 40-38. Then it goes back and forth, back and forth, as both teams trade baskets throughout the quarter. But we can’t… quite… catch up… until the last minute when Rosemary Lefebvre’s clutch free throws finally tie the game 50-50. 30 seconds left.

We get an inbounds play to take the lead but just barely miss. Their ball. 15 seconds left. We force a turnover(!) and get the ball back. 5 seconds left, broken play, Lea-Rose Remillard finds Mariama under the basket with a suh-weet bounce pass, the shot goes up… the horn sounds… and the ball somehow rolls off the rim. This instant classic isn’t over yet, kids. Overtime.

Where both offences finally cool off. No one can get anything going, shots stop falling, the score stays tied until the Highlight Of The Game, when Elisabeth uses a perfect Lea-Rose screen in transition to rise and bury a silky-smooth jumper that puts the game away once and for all. A thrilling 53-51 overtime victory, and your Spartans take the long bus ride back to Stanstead with smiles on their faces. What a game!

- Coaches Van Dyke & Wolfe