HARTSELLE – It took overtime to decide the 6A Area 15 Championship in girls basketball on Thursday night as Hartselle and Austin played to even 54-54 tie after 32 minutes of play. The Lady Tigers controlled the pace in the extra period and pulled out a thrilling 62-59 win to claim the area championship and earn a home game in Monday night’s sub-regional contest.

For the most part, Hartselle controlled the tempo in the first half. The Lady Tigers led 21-17 at the break and pushed the lead out to as many as 12 in the third quarter. However, a strong push from the Black Bears including some hot three-point shooting from Whitney Watkins sparked an Austin comeback.

With 16 seconds to play a late trifecta from the Black Bears a 54-52 lead. Hartselle standout-guard Moriah Taylor was fouled behind the three-point line on the ensuing possession. After missing the first, Taylor drained the next two foul shots to force overtime.

Hartselle outscored Austin 8-5 in the extra time to secure its spot in the sub-regional round. Head coach Gary Orr is excited his team has the opportunity to compete in the next round, but more importantly, he is excited to play the game in front of their home crowd.

“We played hard and I was proud of how the girls fought in the final few minutes,” Orr said. “I have been doing this for a long time. I have already moved on to Jackson Olin.

Taylor led the Lady Tigers with 15 points. Kalli Cartee tallied 14 points and eight-grader Masyn Marchbanks was stellar off the bench tossing in 14. Watkins scored a game-high 35 points for Austin.

Hartselle will host Jackson Olin 7 p.m., Monday night. The winner of that game will advance to the regional rounds to be held at Wallace State Community College in Hanceville.