Alone in first place: Elliott's 29 lifts Lake Dallas past Grapevine in OT

In a game that huge district implications, it was only fitting that Tuesday’s girls basketball game between state-ranked Lake Dallas and Grapevine needed overtime.

In the end, the Lady Falcons, No. 19 in Class 5A by the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches, made a couple more plays to down the No. 20 Lady Mustangs, 68-65, in a District 6-5A matchup.

Junior Jorja Elliott fueled Lake Dallas (13-4 overall, 5-0 conference) with a game-high 29 points. Sophomore Camryn Richardson had one of her best performances of the season with 18 points. Sophomore forward Altyn Bartley chipped in eight points, including a pair of timely free throws late in the game.

“I haven’t been part of a game like this since our playoff run last season,” said Jordan Davis, Lake Dallas head girls basketball coach. “There were several times that we could have thrown in the towel. But, I’m proud of my girls for the way that they kept battling.”

Grapevine (10-4, 2-1) came out firing on all cylinders to take a 19-15 lead at the end of the first quarter. Lake Dallas’ defense put the clamps on Grapevine in the second quarter to outscore the Lady Mustangs 15-11 in the frame to tie the score at 30-all at the half. Grapevine came alive in the third quarter to take a 50-48 lead into the fourth quarter.

Lake Dallas trailed by four points late in the fourth quarter but rallied to force overtime. In the pivotal overtime, the Lady Falcons outscored the Lady Mustangs 8-5 to pull out the three-point victory.