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Valley and Troup are not rivals, but you would not know that from the matchup on Saturday. It was the Tigers that came out on top in a thrilling 67-60 win in overtime. 

The Lady Rams fought to the very end. After trailing by 11 at halftime, Valley outscored Troup 19-10 in the third quarter to make it a 43-41 game heading into the final frame of regulation. Kayden Dooley hit one of her two free throws with eight seconds left in regulation to tie the game and send it to overtime. The Rams just could not find a basket in overtime. 

“I’m impressed,” Valley coach Eberne Myrthil said. “Sometimes they say there are no moral victories, but this one right here us. I saw our girls play like I never thought they would before. They played hard, they played physical and they never gave up.” 

Valley camped out at the free-throw line in the second half. In total, the Rams shot 57 free throws in the game and connected on 38 of those attempts. 

Turnovers were a key problem for the Rams, Valley finished with 28 turnovers in the first four quarters. 

“We’ve got to develop more people that can dribble the ball, and that’s going to take some time,” Myrthil said. “I knew coming in that we were very young, and that showed a lot today.” 

Maliyah Gilbert put Troup County on her back in the late stages of the game. Gilbert finished with 25 points in the game. Sheniyah Philpot and Nasha Daniels each added 11 points for the Tigers. 

Despite being double-teamed for most of the game, Dooley had one of her better games in a Valley uniform. Dooley finished with 27 points in the game. Aniya Robinson also added 13 points for the Rams. 

“It works with the team,” Myrthil said about getting Dooley open. “We set some ball screens, not as many as I wanted.” 

The loss was Valley’s first of the season, and the Rams are 3-1 on the season. Up next for Valley is a matchup with Handley on the road on Dec. 5.