Marietta’s Hayleigh Chidester (3) is fouled by Amanda-Clearcreek’s Taylor Evans during a game Saturday at Sutton Gym. (Photo by Jordan Holland)

Marietta has been playing good basketball of late, but was unable to finish off Saturday’s game against Amanda-Clearkcreek as the Tigers fell 50-47 in overtime.

Marietta (10-10) erased an 11-point deficit in the second half and led by five with 17 seconds left. The Aces (8-12) got a 3-pointer from Taylor Evans to get within two and had the ball with five seconds left. Hayden Plank received an inbound pass in the corner and faked a handoff to Evans before driving the baseline and finishing a layup to force overtime.

Evans’ 3-ball in OT gave ACHS the advantage. Abbie Leist later hit a pair of free throws with 46 seconds remaining to make it 50-47. Marietta had a chance to tie it, but Hayleigh Chidester’s 3-point attempt was off the mark at the buzzer.

“We fell short today, but I can’t fault the effort,” said MHS head coach Ali Shane.

“This felt like a tournament game to me. We’ve got this one under our belt. We know what it’s like to play in overtime now, and hopefully we can take that momentum into the tournament and kind of be more prepared.”

Marietta’s Fiona Fowler (10) dribbles around Amanda-Clearcreek’s Abbie Leist (34) during a game Saturday at Sutton Gym. (Photo by Jordan Holland)

Despite the loss, it was a significant day for the Tigers as they honored their four seniors — Chidester posted game-highs of 14 points and 13 rebounds for a double, Lauren Elliott netted nine points and five boards while Campbell Stanley and Taylor Zoller earned their first starts of the season.

“This afternoon is so special,” Shane said. “We get to honor these guys — the hardest workers I’ve ever been around. I could not ask for better leaders in my program. They’ve set high expectations. I’m looking forward to the future and kind of seeing the program that they built.”

Marietta trailed the entire first half, falling behind 13-5 after one before cutting it to 18-15 by halftime. The Aces surged early in the third, getting a pair of treys from Kaylie Wilson and another from Evans to make it 27-16 at the 4:55 mark.

Maya Diki’s putback basket at the 4:32 mark gave the Tigers a spark, and they turned it into an 18-5 run to close out the third. Blaire Reed, Fiona Fowler and Elliott all knocked down 3-pointers to tie the game at 29-all before Elliott’s steal and layup gave MHS its first lead with 1:10 to go in the third.

Evans answered with a triple, but Braxtyn Kroft, who finished with eight points and six rebounds, shot a 3-pointer that hit off the back iron and dropped into the net at the buzzer, putting Marietta up 34-32 with eight minutes to play.

Marietta’s Lauren Elliott (22) guards Amanda-Clearcreek’s Taylor Evans (23) during a game Saturday at Sutton Gym. (Photo by Jordan Holland)

A pair of turnovers by the Tigers led to back-to-back baskets by the Aces to start the fourth. Fowler’s layup with 6:07 remaining put MHS back in front, and her 3-pointer plus an assist on a basket by Chidester gave Marietta a 43-38 advantage with 2:50 on the clock.

Chidester went 2 for 2 at the free-throw line to make it 45-40 with 41 seconds remaining, but Marietta missed its final four attempts at the charity stripe in regulation to allow the Aces to claw back. The Tigers finished 5 for 12 overall from the line.

Evans led Amanda-Clearcreek with 13 points while Wilson hit four 3-pointers for 12 points. Makenna Singleton grabbed a team-high eight rebounds to go along with six points while Plank chipped in eight points and seven boards.

Fowler chipped in eight points while Reed added six for the Tigers, who visit Barnesville on Thursday. Marietta has won six of its last eight games after a 4-8 start to the season.

“We’re peaking at the right time,” Shane said. “We’re playing our best basketball when we need to be playing our best basketball. Taking this momentum we’ve had over these last couple weeks into the tournament is going to be important for us. I’m excited.”

Contact Jordan Holland at jholland@newsandsentinel.com.