By Weldon Bradshaw
Media General News Service

There they were, cruising along nicely in the championship game of the Central Region girls basketball tournament last night before a robust crowd at the Siegel Center.

With slightly more than five minutes left, the Cosby Titans, No. 1 all season in The Times-Dispatch Top 10, held a 14-point lead over Thomas Dale and were smelling victory.

Little could they imagine that the No. 2 Knights would mount an inspired comeback and send the game into overtime.

Little could they imagine that they’d soon be fighting for their athletic lives on every possession.

Little could they imagine that after almost 36 minutes of leave-it-all-on-the-court intensity by both teams, their well-earned 88-83 victory would come down to four free throws in the final 21.9 seconds.

“We lost a lead we shouldn’t have lost because Thomas Dale stepped it up a notch,” said Cosby coach Rachel Mead.

“The intensity changed, the momentum shifted, but it’s experience that keeps us where we are.

“Our kids can handle the pressure. They know I trust them.

“It’s not just about playing the game. It’s about having each other’s back.”

With their solid man-to-man and poised, disciplined offensive execution, the Titans built a 40-27 lead at halftime and held a 57-44 advantage entering the fourth quarter.

Scoring easily from close range despite the Knights’ best efforts, they went up 65-51 when Jazmin Pitts (26 points, 15 rebounds) sank two free throws 5:35 from the end of regulation.

Then Ka’lia Johnson went to work.

During the next 1:19, the 5-9 junior scored five quick points and launched a 9-0 run that cut the difference to 65-60.

Cosby held fast, but as the final minute ticked down, Shawnee Sweeney drained a 3-pointer at 0:32 to pull Dale to 74-71.

After a timeout and a quick foul, Pitts hit two more free throws.

On the Knights’ next possession, Johnson sliced through the Titans’ defense for a layup at 0:22.5 to trim the lead to 76-73.

Then, after Dale forced a turnover on the inbounds pass, Johnson (34 points, 15 boards) penetrated and dished to the left wing to Alyssa Frye, who drilled a 3-pointer at 0:07 that sent the game into overtime.

“We needed to make sure we kept our composure,” said the Titans’ Becca Wann, the region player of the year who scored 23 including five in OT.“I tried to keep everybody’s head on their shoulders. If I’m freaking out, how can tell them to stay calm?

“I had confidence in the team.”

Johnson, who scored 22 of her points after a third-quarter stint on the bench with foul trouble, hit two buckets to put Dale up 80-78 at 2:24 of OT.

Cosby took the lead for good (81-80) on a layup by Wann at 1:44, and, after a 3-pointer by Sweeney at 0:25 brought Dale to 84-83, Kaylor Nichols and Wann two free throws each to seal the title.

“I tuned the crowd out, kept my composure, breathed, and shot the ball,” said Nichols.

“And they went in.”

Weldon Bradshaw is a correspondent for the Richmond Times Dispatch.