They needed overtime, but the Jasper senior high girls’ basketball team won the final game of their weekend tournament Saturday afternoon.

The Cougars earned their 52-46 victory over the visiting team from Sexsmith and finished in third place out of the four teams that competed.

It had been a rough start to the tournament for the home team, as they lost two lopsided games against the teams that would eventually meet in the championship final. The St. Albert Skyhawks beat Jasper 73-10 and the Strathcona-Tweedsmuir Spartans were victorious by a 65-16 score. In the round-robin matchup between Jasper and Sexsmith, the visiting Sabres earned a 54-46 win.

The early part of the first half of the third- place game was dominated by the home team, who shot the ball very well in cruising to a ten point lead in the first ten minutes of play. Basketball is a game of runs, however, and Sexsmith put one together in the later stages of the opening period to draw even and eventually ahead by the break. Jasper did not help its own cause, failing to score for the better part of five minutes.

While both teams had scored at an impressive rate through the opening twenty minutes, it was no surprise that neither could maintain that high level of offensive efficiency in the second half. The rest of the game was a low-scoring battle, with neither team able to pull away, although Jasper had the better opportunities to do so. It was the home team in front with under three minutes to go, but inspired ball movement from the Sabres allowed them to tie the match at 44 before time ran out.

The extra five minute period belonged to Jasper, as they were able to score several baskets and keep their opponents at bay until the outcome had been decided.

Grade eleven guard Daphne Tio Tio was the offensive star for the Cougars, dropping 16 points on the competition. Tio Tio repeatedly beat the Sabres defence with her speed and ball-handling abilities, and her determination to take the ball to the basket kept the Jasper team in the game during the stultifying defensive stretches of the second half. Both senior girls’ and boys’ teams played exhibition matches against Holy Redeemer of Edson yesterday, but results were not available by press time.

The boys’ team has a tournament scheduled for the first weekend in March in Saint Albert.