Anna Reimink, far right, celebrates with her teammates after LCA knocked out Bethany Christian, 39-34, in overtime Tuesday at the Bethany Christian Girls Basketball Sectional. (Photos by Mike Deak)

WATERFORD MILLS – The rapid changes from disbelief to relief ran across the face of Anna Reimink Tuesday night.

The LCA point guard couldn’t buy a smile in the fourth quarter, but couldn’t stop smiling in the overtime session of a 39-34 win over Bethany Christian in the opening round of the Bethany Christian Girls Basketball Sectional.

Reimink missed all three of her free throw attempts in the fourth quarter of what amounted to damage control for LCA as Bethany was mounting a ferocious comeback. Her miss in the final minute opened the door for Mariah Miller to hit a free throw to tie the game at 31, bringing the Bruins all the way back from a 27-16 deficit that opened the fourth quarter.

Hope Fancil releases a three-pointer at the end of the third. The make gave LCA an 11-point lead.

Reimink, however, canned three of four tries in the extra period, including two with 24.4 seconds left that gave LCA a five-point cushion and afforded the junior a smile that never left her face.

“I definitely felt relieved and the pressure finally came off me, and we finally were able to pull it out,” said Reimink, who was 3-7 from the line but had six rebounds and four steals to go with her seven points. “We just had to stay confident and calm.”

LCA’s 11-point lead at the end of the third was in large part to its defense turning into offense. Two LCA steals helped create four points, and Hope Fancil then drilled two three-pointers, one nearing the quarter buzzer, that gave LCA the game’s largest lead.

After a Fancil two made it 29-19, the Bruins closed on a furious 12-2 run to end regulation. The key play in the run came in the final 1:30 when Reimink missed a one-and-one, Bethany’s Anya Kauffman hit a shot. The inbounds pass was stolen and shuffled to Tarynn Clark, who nearly tossed her shot in, but was fouled, and sank both freebies to pull Bethany within one at 31-30.

“The lead in the fourth quarter that kept diminishing, if we could find any way to lose, we were trying to,” said LCA head coach Allison Kauffman. “That end of the game was a good feeling when we sealed it with the rebound and finally were on top after a close game.”

Tori Calizo and her teammates await the outcome of her three-point attempt.

Fancil would lead LCA with 12 points, seven rebounds and five blocks. The Lady Cougars, who played just its five starters the entire night, had Jess Slone notch 10 points and seven rebounds, Brady Gross with eight points and six rebounds and Tori Calizo with two points and three boards. Gross’ and-one in overtime gave LCA the lead for good at 35-32.

Kauffman finished with 16 for the Bruins (12-11), which had beaten LCA twice during the regular season including the finals of the Bethany Christian tournament in December.

“If Fancil didn’t have the shot, she was going to give it up, and we knew that,” said Bethany head coach Krysten Parson. “She won’t force it in most cases. She wants to find her teammates, and most times tonight she did. We didn’t do a good job at times finding their open man, and that led to some points that we normally don’t allow. They found some ways to score that we unfortunately couldn’t match.”

LCA (15-8) continues on to Friday at 6 p.m., with a date against winless Hamilton (0-22), to which LCA crushed 77-18 in early December. The Marines are struggling mightily on offense of late, breaking the 20-point barrier just once since December and are averaging just 17 points per contest in its 22 losses.

Wednesday night will see Elkhart Christian (10-9) and Lakewood Park Christian (14-5) play first followed by Fremont (10-12) and Fort Wayne Blackhawk (2-20).

LCA’s Jess Slone smiles during a scrum Tuesday against Bethany Christian.