MIO AuSABLE - Mar. 3, 2010 - Fairview fought all the way back from a nine-point fourth quarter deficit in Friday's Class D District semifinal at Mio AuSable, but couldn't hold on as the host Thunderbolts forced overtime and dominated the extra session on the way to a 55-47 victory.

Shelby  Satkowiak opened overtime with a 3-pointer, Nona Khurtsidze buried two free throws and the Thunderbolts never looked back. Fairview wasn't able to hit a shot from the floor and was just 1-of-6 from the free throw line in the extra session.

"We had four freshmen out there, so sometimes you don't know what's going to happen," said Mio coach Joe Breaugh. "But they stayed confident even when they got down and were able to keep their energy level up."

Mio, which usually wins when it shoots well from 3-point range, only hit three triples in the game. But they did shoot 16-of-25 at the free throw line, had Khurtsidze score 12 points mostly by driving to the basket through traffic, and Blamer get win a number of fast-break chances.

"We definitely play better when we can get running off the fast break," Breaugh said.

Mio led through most of the contest as the Eagles were unable to contain Mio's Kelsie Blamer, while Fairview struggled with its shooting. Kayla Weaver kept Fairview in the game as she scored all but four of her game-high points after halftime, though Mio still led 44-38 after a Blamer basket with three minutes left.

Weaver cut the Mio lead to four, and consecutive steals by Kendra Handrich tied the game at 44 with two minutes left. Weaver and Camille Szubelak each hit free throws to give Fairview its first lead since the first quarter, but Blamer's drive to the basket tied it again with 27 seconds left.

Fairview twice had chances to win it, missing a rushed 3-pointer with 20 seconds on the clock. Then, with Mio trying to get off a game-winning shot, Jaelynn Handrich swiped the ball and drove the length of the court, narrowly missing a buzzer-beating 15-footer.

Weaver finished with a game-high 24 points, with Kendra Handrich adding 12. The Eagles finished at 15-6.

The victory avenged a pair of Fairview victories during the regular season, as well as three straight Eagle wins last year. But as Breaugh noted, all four North Star League teams that battled it out for second place this year were in this district, making just about anything possible.

"We figured AE would win it, but us, Fairview, Hillman and Posen were going to battle it out," he said. Indeed, all four were tied for second heading into the final week of the season. "Fairview is a good team. They play hard and they're scrappy. And it was great to see so many people in the gym tonight. It was a great atmosphere."

Mio (12-9) takes on Posen (14-7) in Friday's district championship game.