ALEDO — When the eighth player off the bench has the ball at the end of a last-second scramble, it would be easy for panic to set in.
Not for Wethersfield's Taylor Lay.
Wethersfield trailed Princeville by two with time ticking away as the Flying Geese’s first 3-point attempt missed. After an offensive rebound and a ball reversal, Lay’s didn’t. Her buzzer-beater Thursday night powered Wethersfield to a 58-57 win and sent it to the Lincoln Trail Conference tournament title game.
"The clock is running down, and you know you have to shoot it because it’s that close of a game. If it goes in, it goes in," Lay said.
Lay had just two points entering the fourth quarter but was sent in ahead of a Princeville one-and-one situation. The front end missed, allowing Wethersfield its game-winning possession.
"I was thinking we need to put as many offensive players as we can out there, so I made that quick substitution," Wethersfield coach Shane Tucker said. "(Lay) works hard and makes things happen. We believe in her and she made it."
Wethersfield’s early success came via perimeter shooting by Brittney Litton, who knocked down five first half 3s and had 23 points at the break. But when Princeville shifted its defense to stop Litton (she scored just two points in the second half), the Flying Geese had the response.
"A lot of teams try to just guard Brittney, and we know what to do when they do that," Lay said.
Princeville led by as many as six in the first half and went back in front 56-55 at the 2:45 mark of the fourth behind a Melissa Martin 3-pointer. But Princeville went just 2-for-7 on free throws in the final quarter.
Litton’s 25 points were a game high with Lexi Nichols and Tess Anderson both adding 10 for the Flying Geese. Lucy Waid had a team high 22 points for Princeville while Marisa Horton-Meza finished with 16.
Wethersfield will play Annawan in Saturday’s championship game. The Bravettes topped Mercer County 65-29 on Thursday.