It was a memorable 2015-16 postseason for the Community Viqueen basketball team.

After winning the District 9-A title over MTCS, the Viqueens defeated Clarksville Academy and McEwen to advance to the Region 5-A finals for the third-straight year against Houston County.

A win would give the Viqueens home court advantage in the sectional round three nights later.

Community and Houston County had split their regional final matchups from the previous two seasons. The game three tiebreaker was one for the ages.

McEWEN – It was a battle of heavyweights between the Community Viqueens and the Houston County Lady Irish in the Region 5A finals Wednesday night.

After 32 minutes, a victor had not been declared.

After 36 minutes, no decision on a winner had been made.

It finally took 40 minutes and two overtimes before Davie Barnes rebounded a missed shot and put it in the basket with two seconds left to give the Viqueens a 54-52 victory over the Lady Irish and lay claim on their second Region 5A championship in three years.

"We worked extremely hard and playing five quarters was physical tasking," then Viqueen coach Allison Martin said.

"I thought the girls played really good mentally even though they were really fatigued."

It was also a monumental night for the Viqueens on another front.

Viqueen senior Sarah Pierce reached the 2,000-point plateau, becoming the first Community girls' player to ever reach the milestone.             

It looked anything but a promising night for the Viqueens early on.

The Houston County twin towers of Breanna Boggs and Olivia White played havoc on Community's offensive efforts early on.

The Viqueens (28-2) had trouble finding the basket in the first quarter as they could only muster 10 points, with Lacey Reed leading the way with four points.

Meanwhile, Boggs and White combined for 11 points as the Lady Irish took a 14-10 lead after one quarter.

The frustration continued for the Viqueens in the second quarter as the Lady Irish took their biggest lead at 22-11.  

Boggs and White combined for eight points in the quarter as Community could only score six points.

Houston County took a 24-16 lead into halftime.        

"I felt we were getting good shots, but we only got one basket in the paint," Martin said.

"I felt we were in a pretty good position the way we played to only be eight points down."

The Viqueens loosened up a bit as five players combined for 13 points in the third quarter, with Erin Thompson scoring four points.

But the Lady Irish maintained their eight-point lead and led 37-29 after three quarters.

The next 16 minutes of basketball would prove to be dramatic to say the least.      

The Viqueens cut the Lady Irish lead to 39-36 with 3:38 left in the fourth quarter when Pierce was fouled.

Pierce made both free throws, with the second free throw bringing her career total to 2,000 and bringing Community within one point at 39-38.  

Reed then followed with a field goal at the 2:47 mark to give the Viqueens their first lead of the game at 40-39.

"When we finally caught up with them and got that first lead, we played a different ballgame," Martin said.

"We played more like we wanted to win and there was no other outcome besides that."

Pierce scored 11 points in the quarter and Reed tallied six as the Viqueens extended their lead to 46-43 with 1:11 left.

But a three-pointer from Bradee Wambles of the Lady Irish tied the game at 46-46 with 53 seconds left.

Pierce's two free throws put the Viqueens ahead 48-46 with 47 seconds left, but White tied the game at 48-48 on a field goal with 37 seconds remaining to send the game into the first overtime.

Points would be at a premium in the overtimes as both teams showed the effects of being spent physically and mentally from the fierce action.

White put the Lady Irish ahead 50-48 in the first overtime, but would foul out at the 2:32 mark. 

Reed connected on the resulting free throws to tie the game at 50-50.

Both teams had chances to score in the rest of the overtime but could not, sending the game into another extra period.

Reed put the Viqueens ahead 52-50 in the second overtime on a basket with 1:09 left.

Karlee Pulley tied the game at 52-52 for the Lady Irish on a basket with 52 seconds left.

The Lady Irish had the ball with 12 seconds left as they looked for the winning shot when the Viqueens made the play of the game.       

As the Lady Irish dribbled near midcourt, Mercedes Huntley knocked the ball away. In the ensuing scramble, Huntley fought for the ball, with Pierce then gaining possession.

Pierce missed a jumper from the corner, but Barnes secured the rebound. After faking a Lady Irish defender, Barnes put the ball in the basket to give Community the victory and start a celebration between Community players, coaches, and fans.

Pierce led three Viqueens in double figures with 18 points. Reed had 16 points, while Barnes had 11.

Boggs led the Lady Irish with 21 points while White added 16.

Community was big at the free throw line, connecting on 15-of-16 attempts.

Houston County connected on 7-of-9 free throw attempts.  

Pierce was concentrating more on her team's efforts than her personal accomplishment.

"I was just happy to win so we would get another home game," Pierce said.

"I knew I had 1,800 on Senior Night, but I didn't know how close I was," Pierce added.

Martin praised her team's efforts.

"A one day rest is very difficult coming off one game," Martin said.

"I'm proud of them for playing as hard as they did."                

Community    10   6  13  19  6 — 54

Houston Co.   14 10  13 11   4 — 52

Community: Sarah Pierce 18, Lacey Reed 16, Davie Barnes 11, Erin Thompson 5, Jordan Huntley, Mercedes Huntley 4, Alyssa Freeman.

Houston Co.: Breanna Boggs 21, Olivia White 16, Bradee Wambles 8, Emily Mitchell 3, Sydney Brake, Karlee Pulley 4, Alyssa Downs, Paige Pulley.

3-Point goals: Community (3): Pierce 2, Barnes; Houston Co. (3): Wambles 2, Mitchell.

Halftime score: Houston Co. 24, Community 16. 

With the win, the Viqueens were able to secure a home game against Columbia Academy in the sectional round. Community jumped out early and coasted to a 66-20 victory, which secured a spot for the Viqueens in the TSSAA Class A state tournament for the second-straight year.