Ryan girls slip past Comanche in overtime

The Ryan girls outscored Comanche 10-5 in overtime to advance to the Stephens County Tournament final on Saturday with a 51-46 victory.

The teams battled throughout the game before having to go into overtime where Ryan junior point guard Kamrie Hernandez took over. She scored eight of her 12 points in extra time to lead her team to the win.

Comanche took an early lead in the first quarter before the Cowgirls went on a small run to take the lead they would hold for the rest of the half, but the Lady Indians would stay close throughout.

Ryan, the No. 2 seed, led 16-10 after the first quarter and held a slim 20-18 halftime advantage.

Comanche’s Raelee Ellis tied the game up for the first time since the first quarter when she opened the third with a bucket. The two teams would then trade the lead. Ryan built a five-point lead with 1:32 left, but Comanche scored the final three points of the quarter to get the lead down to two points heading into the final quarter.

There were two ties and two lead changes in the fourth quarter. Comanche led by as many as four points with 5:41 left, but the Lady Indians would go scoreless over the next four minutes allowing Ryan to fight back to take a 41-39 lead with 2:31 remaining. Comanche's Jaylee Roebuck would score on a short jumper to tie the game with 1:08 left. Neither team would score again, sending the game into overtime.

The Cowgirls quickly seized control in OT, scoring nine straight points, including eight by Hernandez, who was 4-of-4 from the free throw line during the stretch.

Comanche would not score its first points in overtime until the 45-second mark making the score 50-43. Comanche’s final would come on a three-pointer by Ellis with a second left to make the final 51-46.

The Lady Indians will play Velma-Alma at 3 p.m. on Saturday in the third place game. The Cowgirls will play Empire in the championship at 6:30 p..m.