ORANGE LEAGUE GIRLS’ BASKETBALL : Free Throws Help Savanna Beat Magnolia

Stacey Aliff’s two free throws with 44 seconds left helped Savanna hold off Magnolia, 38-35, in an Orange League girls’ basketball game Tuesday night at Magnolia.

The Sentinels had failed to score in the second quarter, then rallied to within one point with less than a minute left.

Aliff, who was fouled six times in the fourth quarter, led Savanna with 11 points.

Savanna (17-4, 4-3 in league) led, 15-12, after the first quarter, and outscored Magnolia, 10-0, in the second.

But in the third quarter the Sentinels (11-6, 2-5) outscored the Rebels, as Savanna’s Sara Works left the game with an ankle injury.

Trailing, 35-28, Sentinel Yolanda Hearvey and Aliff hustled for the ball, and Aliff ended up in the stands. But in the fracas, Aliff’s sister and teammate, Cindy, received a technical foul.

The Sentinels retained the ball, and Joya Walach, who scored 16 points, made a layup to close the gap to 35-32.

After a Savanna free throw, Hearvey scored off a rebound to bring the Sentinels to within one, 36-35.

Then Aliff was fouled and made both free throws. Hearvey’s subsequent pass to teammate Lisa Martinez bounced off her hands.

“We needed to win that one,” Savanna Coach Brad Pickler said. “We locked up the first and second quarter, but then we hit that dry spell again. Basically, it was winning ugly--expect the unexpected.”