By Kevin Mills,Staff Writer

AUBURN – They call themselves “partners in crime,” and Saturday night, the two Red Eddies teammates paired up to heist a win from Mt. Ararat.

Brittney French scored a career-high 32 points while Kate Dargie hit a 3-pointer in the final minute to force overtime as Edward Little beat the Eagles 67-54.

“Last year, we only won a couple of games,” said Dargie. “Now we’ve surpassed our record. Two in a row is a big thing for our team. It gives us momentum.”

EL have won back-to-back games against Medomak Valley and Mt. Ararat.

“It gives us a lot of confidence, and it motivates us to keep playing hard,” said French.

EL lost close battles earlier this season, but the Red Eddies came through when it mattered most Saturday. Despite some turnovers, EL managed to force overtime. EL’s free-throw shooting proved decisive. The Red Eddies shot 20-for-24 in the game and hit 11-of-12 in overtime.

“We’ve lost games at Morse and to Leavitt by poor foul shooting,” said EL coach Jim Ladd. “We just stepped up and made the free throws.”

French was superb for EL with 32 points, 11 rebounds, four assists and four steals.

“When the game’s on the line, I don’t want anyone else with their hands on it,” said Ladd. “You can’t take her out of the game. She works hard in practice, and now we’re getting kids to step up. They see the work ethic that she has, and they’re starting to work hard in practice.”

Dargie added 11 points and six assists. Her biggest basket came with 37 seconds left in regulation.

Though a Michelle Bernier rebound had put EL ahead, 47-45, Mt. Ararat got a three-point play from Elaine Emerson to give the Eagles the lead. Two free throws from Kelsi Eiane made it 50-47. Eiane and Emerson each had 18 for the Eagles (4-6).

EL (3-8) answered when Dargie tied it, drilling a shot from the top of the arch.

“I just knew it came down to that last shot, and I just had to put it in the hoop,” said Dargie.

Mt. Ararat got a crack at the game-winner in the closing seconds but missed on four different shots. A Jess Stahl follow up off the glass was blocked by Meghan Bartlett in the final seconds.

When overtime began, Dargie won the tip to French, who scored easily, putting EL in command.

“I was like there’s no way we’re going to lose this game,” said French. “We’ve worked way too hard for this.”

Mt. Ararat stayed close and were within 56-54 on an Emerson jumper with 1:27 left. On the inbounds pass, Dargie found French on a long pass for an easy layup.

“We’ve been doing that since fifth grade,” said Dargie.

Mt. Ararat, which shot 1-for-8 in the overtime, was forced to foul. Dargie, French and Allie Forgues padded the lead with free throws in the final minute.

“Whether it’s too late, I don’t know, but after six teams, it’s a crap shoot,” Ladd said of the Eastern A playoff chase. “You might be able to get in with seven wins, and they know that. Confidence-wise, this is the first time in two years that these kids have won two games in a row.”