Clutch shots save Rams in overtime win over Yellow Jackets
Published 1:04 am Wednesday, January 31, 2024
- FILE PHOTO — Westlake's Gabby Guillory scores the game-winning basket with seven seconds left in overtime on Jan. 31 at Westlake High School. Westlake beat Iowa 50-48. (Rodrick Anderson / American Press)
WESTLAKE — Twice, the Westlake Rams faced defeat with just seconds left on the clock, but Maddy and Gabby Guillory hit clutch shots and the Rams beat Iowa 50-48 in overtime Tuesday.
With 22 seconds left in regulation, Tierra Bargeman found Maddy Guillory, who dropped in a 3-pointer to tie the game at 43-43 with the Rams out of timeouts.
With 18 seconds left in overtime, Iowa’s Kamylle Jones tied the game at 48-48, but Gabby Guillory’s jumper in the lane with seven seconds left sealed the win for the Rams.
“I thought the girls did a good job staying composed in those last seconds,” Westlake head coach Gloria Fontenot said. “I was out of timeouts, and they found Maddy (Guillory). She hit the three when it mattered to put us in overtime.
“That says a lot about them. We hadn’t been in those kind of situations often. I think the experience the kids have out there made the difference in pulling it off in the end.”
Maddy Guillory led the Rams (20-4, 3-0) with 16 points, and Gabby Guillory finished with 12. Bargeman added eight points, nine rebounds, three steals and two assists.
Iowa (22-5, 2-2) lost back-to-back games for the first time this season and will look to bounce back on Friday when it hosts Lake Charles College Prep.
Westlake led by eight twice in the third quarter, but Iowa responded in the fourth quarter. They forced nine turnovers, and Jones, who scored a game-high 22 points, hit two 3-pointers in less than 30 seconds to give Iowa a 41-40 lead.
“When we had the lead we got to the point where we went through some droughts offensively,” Fontenot said. “Then we just started to play not to lose.
“Like I told the kids, that is like playing scared. You have to play to win. There were some key moments that we should have taken advantage of. We were holding the ball instead of driving it. They (Iowa) started to get aggressive towards the end of the fourth quarter.
“They took advantage of some of our turnovers to get back into the game. We have to take care of the ball. We had way too many turnovers that cost us.”
