ROME, Ga. - In a game between two crosstown rivals, it was only fitting that a hometown girl would be the hero.

Alexa Evans hit a jump shot with 10 seconds remaining in overtime to give Berry a 74-73 victory over Shorter at Berry's Cage Center Monday.

Shorter took a 71-67 lead with 1:34 remaining in the extra period before Berry closed with a 7-2 run.  Brittany Coughlan started the rally with a three-pointer that pulled the Lady Vikings to within 71-70, before Evans hit a pair of free throws to give Berry a 72-71 lead with 41 seconds left.

But Shorter's Robyn Foster would hit two free throws of her own four seconds later to give the Lady Hawks a 73-72 lead, setting up Evans' heroics on the other end of the floor. 

Berry led by as many as 10 points in the first half before Shorter fought back to take a 38-35 lead five minutes into the second half.  The teams would trade the lead for the remainder of regulation before settling the contest in overtime.

Evans, a sophomore from Rome's Model High School, led Berry with 19 points.  She was joined in double figures by Coughlan, who added 17 points and eight rebounds, and Holly Compton, who scored 14 points and dished out nine assists. 

Megan Walsh hauled down a team high 10 rebounds for the Lady Vikings, who improved to 8-9 overall with the victory.

Shorter's Damisha Moore tied Evans for game-high honors with 19 points.  Foster added 12 and Megan Queen recorded a double-double with 11 points and 13 rebounds.  Queen also blocked six shots.

The Lady Hawks dropped to 13-6 with the loss.

Berry, which has shown strong determination in the past two games,combining to win both by a total of three points, returns to action this Wednesday at 6 p.m., against Young Harris.

- BerryVikings.com -