WILLARD — Colonel Crawford freshman Emmi Powers felt for certain that her game-changing shot got off before the buzzer, and she also thought that it gave her team much-needed momentum.

The Lady Eagles had been trailing New London for the entire game, at one point, by as many as seven midway through the second period.

Crawford made a small run late in the third period, scoring five straight points, to tie the game at 22-22 with 2:21 left.

Then, the freshman stepped up.

Crawford got the ball with 3.5 seconds left in the period and Powers got the ball at half court. She had the presence of mind to know there was only about a second left and she launched a shot from the circle.

The shot was perfect and the ball hit nothing but net. The New London fans and coaches immediately began claiming that the shot was after the buzzer. But after a consultation of officials, the shot was called good.

The three-point basket gave the Lady Eagles a 25-22 lead entering the final frame, and seemed to give the team a spark, one it would not lose the rest of the game.

Crawford made 12 of 18 free throws the rest of the game and walked away with a 37-29 win over the Lady Cats in the semifinal of the Division VI district tournament. With the win, the Lady Eagles (21-2) advanced to Saturday’s district final and will face Margaretta in the final at 2 p.m. New London’s season ended with a 17-6 record.

But, according to Powers, the shot definitely was off in time.

“I really think that the other coach didn’t think I got it off in time,” Powers said. “I didn’t really know, but they counted it and that’s all that matters.”

But Powers and head coach Zac Bauer each felt that the shot gave the team much-needed momentum.

“It was just a shot that kept the momentum going,” Powers said.

Bauer also thought that Powers’ shot was the difference.

“It was a momentum shifter, to be honest,” Bauer said. “She comes out there, sticks her nose in and made a play. That’s what good players do, and she’s done that for us all year. She’s just been a very good player for us.”

Crawford had a challenge in front of them, facing a longer New London team, with dual posts Pailee Wilson and Gracie Thomas. The Lady Cats were without guard Raeann Mitchell, the daughter of the coach, and that undoubtedly played a role in the game.

“We wanted to keep at them and keep at them and try to wear them down because of our depth,” Bauer added. “Their sharpness and their execution was so differential for them.

“You have to give a lot of credit to coach (Eric) Mitchell and the job he’s done with that team,” he said. “For the last three years, when those kids were freshmen, he’s really put a lot of time into that team; and that’s a heck of a basketball team and a well-coached program.”

The two teams battled back on Nov. 29, with Mitchell playing for the Lady Cats, and Crawford came away with a hard-fought 27-16 win. So, Bauer knew what to expect.

Going into that game, however, the Lady Cats were coming off a volleyball season where they reached the regional tournament, coming off a loss to New Bremen in the regional semifinals. Virtually every player from that team played basketball.

So, Bauer wanted to face a taller team than his.

“That’s something that we wanted to be tested on in our non-league schedule against size and it was for this reason,” Bauer said. “That’s why we played them early in the season. They’re big and they’re disciplined and they’re well-coached.”

Carley Zender dropped three threes and finished with nine points, along with Powers.

Wilson led the Lady Cats with 11 points.

Box score

New London               11      6        5      7 — 29

Colonel Crawford        5       9     11    12 — 37

New London (17-6): Shots 13-29; 3-pt. shots 1 (Olivia Yetter); Free throws 2-4; Rebounds 21; Turnovers 9. Scoring: Valery Henry 4 0 8, Pailee Wilson 5 1 11, Gracie Thomas 1 0 2, Olivia Yetter 3 1 8.

Colonel Crawford (21-2): Shots 7-33; 3-pt. shots 5 (Carley Zender 3, Emmi Powers, Lexi Dure); Free throws 18-24; Rebounds 16; Turnovers 5. Scoring: Gabby Roston 0 6 6, Emmi Powers 1 6 9, Mira Holt 1 0 2, Robin Ehmann 2 4 8, Lexi Dure 1 0 3, Carley Zender 3 0 9.