South Whidbey’s girls basketball team lost in overtime to Nooksack Valley, 54-45, on Monday night at Erikson Gymnasium in the first round of the 1A District 1 tournament.

South Whidbey led for most of the game and led 34-27 entering the fourth quarter. But, following midrange baskets by Falcon juniors Kacie Hanson and Kinsey Eager which pushed South Whidbey ahead by nine, the Pioneers went on a 12-0 run.

Hanson tied the game at 41 on two free throws with 39 seconds left in the fourth quarter. The teams traded empty possessions in the waning seconds of regulation to send the game to overtime.

In overtime, Falcon sophomore Mackenzee Collins stole the Pioneers’ opening possession and drove to the basket for midrange score. But costly fouls by South Whidbey on the Pioneers’ strongest player, 6-foot-1-inch senior Brianna Turner, led to several easy points for Nooksack Valley. Turner finished with a team-high 13 points.

Trailing by two points with a minute left, Falcon junior Megan Drake was called for traveling which led to a layup by Pioneer sophomore Katrina Gimmaka.

The Pioneers sealed the game when junior Rachel Sande converted two free throws to push Nooksack Valley ahead by six with 30 seconds left. The Falcons intentionally fouled the Pioneers until the final buzzer rang in Nooksack Valley’s favor.

South Whidbey dropped to 8-12 overall while Nooksack Valley improved to 14-8.

Though the Falcons held a higher seed, the Pioneers were no easy draw. Among its accomplishments this season, Nooksack Valley defeated then-No. 1 ranked in Class 2A Burlington Edison on Jan. 20.

The Falcons were ready for both the challenge and the stakes of the game. With the exception of senior Morgan Davis, South Whidbey’s entire roster had not played in a postseason game.

“We’ve been watching film on them for a week and we knew what we were up against and we were just ready to play against a good team,” Drake said. “For most of us except Morgan (Davis), that was our first time in the postseason. We were just so excited and I think that’s what helped our offense a lot by passing the ball around and keeping our tempo up.”

Drake finished with a game-high 15 points while Hanson finished second with 14.

Drake opened the game by hitting four consecutive three-point field goals, the last of which pushed South Whidbey ahead 22-13 midway through the second quarter. Drake wasn’t alone in the scoring spree, however, as eight different Falcons scored on the night.

“I thought that was definitely the best we’ve played as a team in a long time,” Drake said. “That was really exciting.”

Hanson credited Collins and junior Kinsey Eager for their efforts in defending against the Pioneers’ tall players in Turner and Gimmaka.

Falcon head coach Andy Davis felt Turner and Gimmaka were difference makers in the game. He also noted the Falcons lost of bit of its accuracy as the game wore on, which proved costly in the end.

“They threw the ball inside and we missed a couple shots,” Davis said. “We took shots that were good shots and we just didn’t knock them down. If we knock down a couple of those, the game is different. So, it’s just that close when you get to districts.”

The Falcons will either play Mount Baker or King’s in a loser-out game at 7 p.m. on Feb. 11 on the road.