Girls basketball: River View buzzer-beater stuns Coshocton

WARSAW — There wasn’t much time for divine intervention as Prestyn Patterson found herself trapped in the closing seconds on Monday night.

With her River View squad down two points to visiting Coshocton with 5.6 seconds left in a Muskingum Valley League crossover, it was Patterson who found herself with the ball in her hands with time winding down.

Hounded by three defenders on the right wing, it was officially desperation time. She then leaned in and launched an off-balance 3-pointer that banked in as the buzzer sounded, triggering an eruption rarely seen in this difficult season for the Lady Bears.

Final score: River View 40, Coshocton 39. There was finally cause for celebration.

"It's one of those things where you talk to the kids about playing to the buzzer," River View coach Marty Bice said. "Fifty seconds left it didn't look to good for us, but our kids played their hearts out. Coshocton made a heck of a rally there in the fourth quarter, and we lost a game like this at the buzzer (against Maysville) earlier this season. It's nice to get one."

The play was originally designed to be a screen-and-roll at the top of Coshocton's zone defense for post player Lily Yoder, who had 13 points, in an attempt to either get a driving lane or a pass to the paint.

But the play broke down, leaving Patterson stranded against heavy resistance outside of the arc.

“I got really, really nervous because I couldn’t see Lily anywhere,” Patterson said. “So I’m like, ‘time is running down, this has to go up.’ I just prayed to God and it worked. I looked him in the eye and that’s game."

That it came against their chief rival a few miles down U.S. 36 only added to the satisfaction.

"I needed it," Patterson added. "I've been in a slump and it felt good to get out here and get a win for all of us, and to hit that shot for myself."

It capped a frantic second half.

Coshocton overcome a 30-16 deficit with 3:40 left in the third quarter with a 13-0 run that saw the Lady Bears go more than six minutes without points. Still, they managed a 32-29 lead with 5:25 left in the game after Elaina Brenly's baseline jumper.

But three straight scoreless possessions for River View resulted in a 7-0 run that saw Savannah Bartlett convert down low, Julia Cutrina knock down a long jumper and Isabelle Lauvray connect on a 3 out of a timeout. It gave Coshocton a 37-32 advantage, and it got the ball back with a chance to extend the lead after River View turned it over on its next possession.

It couldn't add on, however, as the Lady Skins went almost three minutes before Bartlett hit two free throws with 1:28 left to push a one-point lead to 39-36.

Coshocton never scored another point, committing a turnover with 35 seconds left before missing the front end of a 1-and-1 to give the hosts a chance, down 39-37, with :21.8 still showing.

River View (5-11, 3-9 MVL-Big) tried to work the ball for a shot, but an errant pass went past halfcourt — for what would have been a back-court violation — but Coshocton chased after the ball and lost it out of bounds near its own basket.

It gave River View new life — and just enough time.

"This team, we haven't had the best of luck," Patterson said. "Us seniors, we just told ourselves to lead and never give up. This helped us lot."

Coshocton (1-15, 1-11 MVL-Small) entered in its most positive stretch of play to date, which included a win against Crooksville and a competitive loss to an 11-win Meadowbrook squad on Saturday.

But River View, notorious for slow starts, scored 15 of the first 19 points — Patterson's five points led four players who scored in the first quarter — and forced turnovers, utilizing a mix of 1-3-1 and match-up zones.

Coshocton spent the rest of the game clawing back, using its own zone defenses to force eight turnovers that led to six points over the next two quarters. The Lady Skins trailed 19-14 at the half and 30-22 after three quarters.

Coshocton coach Paul Bowman said the coaches challenged the team at halftime to find more energy, which proved successful after scoring on six of its first eight possessions of the third quarter.

It finished 15-of-31 from the field, but 16 turnovers that led to 12 River View points loomed large.

"We didn't get it done in the first half," Bowman said. "We sleep-walked or whatever you want to call it for the first 2 1/2 quarters. It was 'should we go play or not.' Patterson, we held her down in the second half. She hit one shot and it was a game-winner."

Bowman empathizes with his players, particularly after losses like Monday's. It was a winnable game in a season filled with difficult games within the MVL.

"It's the same old crap," Bowman said. "These kids just don't know how to win. You feel so bad for them."

Bartlett had 13 points, Lauvray 12 and Cutrina 10 as Coshocton had only four players score.

Brenly added 13 points and Patterson eight, as River View hit 17 of 40 from the field and 4 of 7 at the line with 14 turnovers.

Bice said controlling Bartlett, one of the top all-around players in the MVL, was paramount. He also praised his players for fighting through late-game adversity to give itself a chance.

"No matter it works out, when you see the kids that excited and stuff it just makes it all worth it ," Bice said. "They have been hungry and I'm proud of them. That's what people don't understand. You spend so much time with the kids, and you bleed for them, you're sad with them and you're excited with them. You want them to be able to enjoy something like this. And we're going to enjoy it a lot."

sblackbu@gannett.com; Twitter: @SamBlackburnTR

This article originally appeared on Zanesville Times Recorder: Girls basketball: River View buzzer-beater stuns Coshocton