By Terry Boehmker
NKyTribune sports reporter
After getting 22 points and 25 rebounds in her first three games with the Highlands girls basketball team, senior transfer student Tyriana Berry posted a double-double in a 62-61 double-overtime win over Holy Cross on Tuesday in Fort Thomas.
The 6-foot-4 center’s free throw with nine seconds left in the second overtime was the deciding point in the contest as she finished with game-high totals of 20 points and 17 rebounds for the Bluebirds.
Highlands (3-1) played the game without returning 6-foot-4 senior forward Marissa Green, so the team needed a strong performance by Berry, an all-conference player for Withrow High School in Cincinnati last season.
Berry was 2-of-10 at the free throw line, but the Furman University recruit made the one that counted the most. Holy Cross (3-1) did not get off a shot on its final possession.
Highlands ended up shooting 53.6 percent (22 of 41) on its home court compared to 31.8 percent (22 of 69) for Holy Cross.
The Bluebirds made 9 of 17 3-point shots, while the Indians went 5 of 25 from behind the arc.
In the first half, Highlands shot 55 percent (10 of 18) from the field with four 3-point goals and went into the locker room with a 29-25 lead. Junior guard Katie Bucher made a pair of treys that accounted for six of her 11 points in the first two quarters.
Holy Cross tied the score, 43-43, early in the fourth quarter, but the home team responded with a 10-3 run that included a pair of 3-point goals to open up a 53-46 lead with less than three minutes left.
After the Indians went on a 7-0 run that tied the score, both teams missed a field goal attempt in the final seconds to send the game into overtime.
Holy Cross took a 56-53 lead on a field goal and free throw by freshman guard Jai Johnson with 16 seconds left in the first overtime. But a 3-point goal by Highlands junior Kaylee Mills extended the game once more at 56-56.
Berry scored five of her team’s six points in the second overtime on two field goals and the game-winning free throw. Mills made the free throw that tied the score at 61-61.
The leading scorers for Holy Cross were Johnson with 18 points and sophomore guard Dmyah Williams with 17. Senior forward Aumani Nelson got into early foul trouble and had 11 points when she fouled out late in the fourth quarter.
There were 36 foul shots during in the game. Highlands was 9-for-21 and Holy Cross was 12-of-15 at the line.