OBSERVER Photo by Anthony Dolce Chautauqua Lake’s Lily Woodis dribbles up the court during Thursday’s CCAA Division 1 West game against Southwestern in Mayville.

MAYVILLE — A Thursday night slugfest between Chautauqua Lake and Southwestern ended with the Thunderbirds landing the heaviest blow.

Chautauqua Lake snuck by the Trojans, 58-50, in overtime in a game that featured 13 ties and eight lead changes. From the beginning of the day and even the season, the Thunderbirds were amped up to take on the Trojans.

“My girls have been waiting for this game all season,” said Chautauqua Lake coach Bill Persons. “They’ve been watching what Southwestern has been doing, they’ve been on our radar. They were really hyped coming into school this morning.”

Chautauqua Lake got off to a hot start in the first, opening the game on a 12-4 run, before Southwestern ripped off eight points in a fury at the end, and had a chance to take the lead heading into the second quarter, but Chautauqua Lake star Alexis Jacobson stripped a defender and walked in for a layup to give the Thunderbirds a 14-12 lead heading into the second frame. Southwestern seniors Reece Beaver and Sofia Genareo helped break the Trojans out of their early funk, as they had to adjust to Chautauqua Lake’s trap defense.

“We’ve been talking in practice to try and set the pace in the game,” said Southwestern coach Taylor Storer. “They’re a good pressing team, and they play a solid 2-3 zone, and we were prepared for it. We knew it was going to be a close matchup. It was fun to play them.”

The momentum that Southwestern gained at the end of the first continued into the second, as Genareo scored four more points to start the frame to go up 16-14, but Chautauqua Lake’s Hailey Roush buried a 3-pointer to give the lead back to the Thunderbirds. Beaver and Genareo each scored another basket each, leading the Trojans to a halftime lead of 24-22.

Right out of the gate in the third, Jacobson, who dazzled all game, buried a 3 to give the Thunderbirds a 25-24 lead, but Genareo and Beaver scored back-to-back baskets, with Beaver’s being a 3 to pull back in front. For the entirety of the third quarter, the largest lead held by either team was just two points, as Chautauqua Lake’s other stars Lily Woodis and Rebecca Henry each scored two baskets apiece, while Beaver and Genareo continued to pile it on for Southwestern. Kira Ricker added a 3-pointer, as the game went into the fourth quarter favoring Southwestern, 37-35.

The trend of trading blow for blow continued into the fourth, as Chautauqua Lake regained the lead with back-to-back shots by Roush and Lauren Alfa, but for the rest of the quarter, the game was either tied or within a basket. Toward the end of the frame, Ricker hit a layup to give Southwestern a two-point lead once again. Hailey Roush split a pair of free throws to cut the lead back to one. With just under a minute to go, Allison Lundmark gave the Trojans their largest lead of the game, putting Southwestern up 45-42.

The Trojans had a chance to ice the game at the end, gathering a big offensive rebound to regain possession, but the Thunderbirds had fouls to give and made the most of them, forcing an errant inbound pass with just 30 seconds left to get one last look trailing by three. And Jacobson did not throw away her shot.

Jacobson, who had a minor injury late in the fourth, came back in the game right before the final few possessions of regulation, seemingly shaking off whatever injury she had.

Off the inbound right in front of the Chautauqua Lake bench, the play looked to be dead as the Thunderbirds cycled the ball around when it came to Jacobson at the top of the arch. She gave a jab step forward, and her defender backed off, giving her just enough space to bury the equalizer and knot the game at 45. For Jacobson, that wasn’t her first bout of heroics this season.

“You let the reins loose for her,” Persons said. “That’s twice now, in the Olean game she buried a three late in that one that got us back in, and she did it again tonight.”

The Trojans still had a shot to win it, but couldn’t get a clean look at the end of regulation, and the Thunderbirds had one second on the clock to work with. Jacobson found Woodis on a perfect inbound right under the basket from the sideline, but Woodis couldn’t get a shot off in time and the game went to regulation. While Woodis was feeling bad about her missed opportunity, she made up for it in the fifth frame.

At the start of overtime, Beaver hit the first shot, putting the Trojans up, 47-45, but that was the last meaningful bucket that Southwestern would score. Chautauqua Lake ripped off 11 straight points from there, including a huge shot from Woodis who tore through the lane and hit a tough contested layup, drawing a foul, and sinking the free throw that gave Chautauqua Lake a 51-50 lead. That shot ended up being the game winning basket.

“Lily felt bad at the end, but to come out in overtime and play the way they did was huge,” Persons said. “Lily’s and-one got us out and got us a little lead, getting us comfortable there.”

On the night, the Thunderbirds were led by Jacobson’s 16 points, nine of which came in the fourth quarter or overtime. Roush ended the game with 13 while Woodis finished with 11 and Henry finished with 10, in a game that Persons was pumped about at the end.

“I’m at a loss for words,” Persons said. “I’m excited. I want to give kudos to my kids, they’re ballers, and they play hard.”

Despite the loss, several Trojans put up huge numbers as Genareo scored 20 points while hauling in 21 rebounds. Beaver added 13 points and nine boards of her own, and Lawton ended with 3 points, four rebounds and nine assists. Though the team couldn’t finish this one, Storer, in her first year with the program, is thankful for the team she inherited.

“I have a great support system,” Storer said. “That’s been super-helpful. The girls have been very accepting and disciplined and I couldn’t ask for better girls to take over a program with.”

The Trojans (2-2) are next in action against Maple Grove at 11 a.m. on Saturday at Southwestern High School while Chautauqua Lake (5-1) will take on Fredonia at Fredonia High School on the same day at 2 p.m. for their second meeting of the season.

SOUTHWESTERN (50)

Beaver 6 0 15, Lawton 1 1 3, Genareo 7 5 20, McIntyre 0 0 0, Lundmark 2 0 4, Lowe 0 0 0, Ricker 3 0 8. Totals 19 6 50.

CHAUTAUQUA LAKE (58)

Henry 5 0 10, Roush 4 4 13, Alfa 1 1 3, Keefe 1 1 3, Erickson 1 0 2, Lindsey 0 0 0, Jacobson 4 6 16, Weise 0 0 0, Woodis 4 2 11. Totals 20 14 58.

3-point goals–Beaver 3, Genareo, Ricker 2, Roush, Jacobson 2, Woodis.

Southwestern 12 12 13 8 5 — 50

Chautauqua Lake 14 8 13 10 13 — 58

Jayvees: Chautauqua Lake won, 41-24.