No. 2 Lady Oilers edge Lady Sharks 40-36 in double OT

December 27, 2022

DIFFERENCE MAKER - Pearland senior Janae Tucker (2) goes up for a layup vs Shadow Creek. Tucker finished with 10 points and three rebounds but more importantly hit two crucial free throws to keep the game tied and send it to a double overtime where the Lady Oilers would go on to defeat the Lady Sharks 40-36.

The win could be critical to deciding the district champion later in the season. [Photo by Lloyd Hendricks]

PEARLAND — The No. 2 state-ranked Pearland Lady Oilers have started District 23-6A action in a positive way getting wins over Alief Hastings 59-38 in the league opener and Shadow Creek 40-36 in overtime just before Christmas to improve to 18-1 overall and 2-0 in district.

Head coach Jere Adams anticipated a close game with Shadow Creek as both teams were pre-season picks to advance to the playoffs. Pearland, who finished 28-10 last season with a trip to the 6A region finals, is an overwhelming favorite to win the league title, but the Lady Sharks put the Lady Oilers to the ultimate test in a hard-fought battle.

The Lady Oilers opened up the first quarter with a balanced-scoring attack that produced 11 points while the host Lady Sharks stayed close with 10 points.

Shadow Creek's Kameryn Phillips scored all 10 points for the Lady Sharks with three field goals and 4-for-5 from the charity stripe.

Pearland forged ahead in the second quarter with eight points while Shadow Creek could manage only a single field goal leaving the Lady Oilers with a 19-12 halftime lead.

The third quarter belonged to Shadow Creek as they outscored Pearland 13-5 as Krislyn Biscette hit two 3-pointers to pace the Lady Sharks offense which gave Shadow Creek a 25-24 lead at the end of the third frame.

Pearland took the fourth quarter 6-5 which sent the game into an extra period with the score tied 30-30.

It took two overtimes to decide the outcome as both teams scored a single basket in the first OT to leave the game tied at 32-32.

However, Pearland outscored Shadow Creek in the second OT 8-4 as La'Niah Thornton hit a clutch 3-pointer while Janae Tucker hit a basket and two free throws to give Pearland a 40-36 win.

Rylee Grays paced the scoring for Pearland with 13 points and 12 rebounds while Tucker finished with 10 points and three rebounds but more importantly hit two crucial free throws to keep the game tied and send it to a double overtime.

Phillips led the Lady Sharks with 19 points while Biscette tossed in 10. Shadow Creek is now 11-8 overall and 1-1 in district.

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TOP SCORER FOR LADY OILERS - Pearland senior Rylee Grays (22) goes up for a shot over Shadow Creek junior Kyndall Drones (24). Despite being double-teamed the entire game Grays put up a double-double with 13 points and 12 rebounds and hit the final free throw in the second overtime to stretch the lead to the final score of 40-36 with just 10 seconds left.

With the win the Lady Oilers are in first place in district as the season gets started. The next home game for the Lady Oilers is Jan 4 at 7:00 p.m. [Photo by Lloyd Hendricks]

TOP SCORER - Shadow Creek's senior Kameryn Phillips goes up for a shot over Pearland junior La'Niah Thornton. Phillips' efforts kept the Sharks in the game putting up a double-double of 19 points and 13 rebounds.

She also had a great day on the defensive side of the ball with three steals and two blocks and was instrumental in pushing the game to double overtime. Up next the Sharks will travel to Alief Hastings on Jan 4 at 7:00 p.m. [Photo by Lloyd Hendricks]