PALMER — With 21.7 seconds left in the fourth quarter, Amherst Regional’s Erin Klaes took a shot from deep to give the Hurricanes a three-point lead.
Palmer was looking for any shot to tie the game when Madison Cole hit a 3-pointer with less than 10 seconds left. In the final seconds the Hurricanes were unable to get a shot off and the game went into overtime.
After four minutes of play the Panthers pulled ahead and beat Amherst, 51-46, Friday night.
Palmer (7-12, 4-3 Central) clinched a tournament berth with the win, securing at least a share of second place in the league.
Amherst finished the regular season 8-12 overall, 4-4 in the league. If Granby (14-5, 7-0 Central) beats Palmer on Monday, Amherst will qualify for the postseason via a tie for second place.
“We have solidified a spot in the playoffs,” Palmer coach Gerald Calvanese said. “We have one more game versus Granby. If we do that it will even further our seedings.”
The Panthers entered the fourth quarter with a six-point lead over Amherst.
The teams went back and forth until the Panthers called a timeout with a five-point lead and 5:21 left in the game.
With 4:45 left, a 3-pointer from Klaes was immediately followed by a jump shot from Madison Layer to tie the game with just over four minutes left.
Layer finished with 14 points while Klaes had 13.
“I think we did a nice job with our composure in the fourth quarter and trying to get high-percentage shots and they were going down for us,” Hurricanes coach Dustin James said.
In overtime, the Panthers took a seven-point lead and didn’t allow the Hurricanes to score until there was less than a minute left when Layer hit a shot from deep to cut Palmer’s lead to four.
“We called a timeout, we set our play up, we ran it and executed it perfectly down the stretch,” Calvanese said. “They get really composed. It’s a great group of kids and they are mentally tough for as young as they are. They really understand the game, they really get it and worked all season long.”
Jillian Lombardi led Palmer with 16 points while Megan Wilson had 12.
Amherst now needs Granby’s help to extend the season.
“The girls should be really proud what they accomplished this season and it’s just the beginning,” James said. “For a lot of them it’s their first 20 games of 80-plus. Every game, every practice is a learning experience and we will certainly be back next year ready to roll.”
CORRECTION — In Wednesday’s Gazette it was incorrectly reported that the Amherst Regional girls basketball team qualified for the postseason. The Hurricanes did not qualify when they beat Monson.