The Prairie City/Burnt River girls survived a double-overtime thriller to notch a 60-54 win over Adrian in the consolation round of the High Desert League Basketball Tournament and qualify for the state playoffs.

The game came down to free throws at the end, with Prairie City/Burnt River making just enough to secure the win and a third-place finish in the district tournament, earning the team a spot in the state 1A playoffs.

Prairie City struck first, building a 7-1 lead with a little over 4:30 left in the opening quarter, but Adrian battled back, slicing the Lady Panther advantage to one, 14-13, going into the second.

Both teams started slowly in the second, with neither scoring until the 5:23 mark, when Adrian made a field goal to briefly take the lead, 15-14.

But a pair of Brook Teel free throws put the Lady Panthers back on top, 16-15. The rest of the period was a parade to the foul line as Prairie City/Burnt River knocked down enough free throws to hold a 24-18 lead at half.

The two squads traded buckets in the third quarter, which ended with the Lady Panthers up four, 32-28.

But the Lady Antelopes climbed back in it as the game became a back-and-forth affair, with four lead changes in the period.

After going up 41-38 with 2:38 remaining, Prairie City/Burnt River had a number of chances to close out the game in regulation but missed six straight free throws, letting Adrian hang around until the Lady Antelopes tied the score at 41-all with 4.8 seconds remaining to send the game into overtime.

It would take two extra sessions to decide the outcome. The first overtime period ended in a 47-47 tie, but the Lady Panthers made some key defensive plays and sank several clutch free throws in the second OT, capping off the win with a Bella Williams layup at the buzzer to make the final tally 60-54.

Teel led the team in scoring with 21 points, and Williams chipped in eight. Jaycee Winegar contributed 11 points, Savannah Watterson 10, Reece Jacobs seven and Skylar McKay three.

The Lady Panthers won their first-round matchup with Four Rivers 31-22 on Thursday, then dropped a 59-37 decision to Jordan Valley on Friday to reach Saturday’s consolation game.

The top-ranked Lady Mustangs of Crane won the High Desert League Tournament, running roughshod over Jordan Valley 61-40 in Saturday’s final to remain undefeated on the year. Crane will host Eddyville Charter in a first-round state playoff game on Wednesday, Feb. 21.

Prairie City/Burnt River finished regular-season play with a 13-12 overall record and a 2-2 mark in the High Desert League.

The Lady Panthers will go on the road to face North Lake/Paisley on Wednesday, Feb. 21, in a first-round state playoff tilt. The 1A girls state championship tournament is scheduled for Feb. 29-March 2 at Baker City High School.

PRAIRIE CITY 31, FOUR RIVERS 22

JOHN DAY — The Prairie City/Burnt River girls ground out a gritty 31-22 win over Four Rivers on Thursday, Feb. 15, to advance to the second round of the High Desert League 1A basketball tournament at Grant Union High School.

Both teams struggled early in a turnover-marred first half that ended with the host Lady Panthers holding a 14-6 lead.

Matters heated up in the second half as both teams came out strong. The Four Rivers Lady Falcons battled back to knot the score at 14-all at the 5:17 mark of the third quarter, then pulled ahead 17-14 on a three-point bucket with 1:46 left in the period.

But a technical foul was called on the Four Rivers coach, and after a pair of free throws and a long two-pointer, the Lady Panthers were back on top 18-17 going into the final frame.

The fourth period was hard-fought by both sides, but the Lady Panthers steadily built their lead to close out the game with the 31-22 victory.

Prairie City/Burnt River will face Jordan Valley in a semifinal matchup at 1 p.m. Friday, Feb. 16, at Grant Union High School.