The Forrest Lady Rockets just would not quit Tuesday night, coming from behind to claim a gut-wrenching 43-38 overtime win over Murfreesboro Central Magnet School (MCM) in the District 12-AA opener for both squads.

"We thought it showed their character,” Forrest coach Corey Bishop said. “To be down essentially the entire game and then fight back the way they did is a testament to their desire to not ever give up.

“I like teams that have that persona and we as a coaching staff are very proud of them."

Senior Laura Mealer tied for a game-high 17 points, including a buzzer-beating 3-pointer to tie the contest at the end of regulation and the go-ahead bucket in overtime.

“Laura is definitely one of the best competitors I've coached,” Bishop said. “She likes to be challenged and we thought that she did a great job of impacting the game in a variety of ways.”

“She and Carissa Curtis do a great job of setting examples for our younger players through their leadership."

Macyn Kirby had another big game for Forrest with 12 points, including a pair of 3-pointers while Alex Davenport added six points, Addison Bunty had four, eighth-grader Kinslee Inlow had three made free throws, and Abbi Davenport had one marker.

The Lady Tigers were led in the scoring column by Olivia Hart, who shared game high honors with Mealer with 17 points while Kaitlin Polly was also in double figures with 10.

Kathryn Hays and Addison Melton had four points apiece and Analyaiah Smith had one 3-pointer.

The Lady Rockets got off to a slow start with a lone Mealer first-quarter bucket and trailed 9-2 after the first eight minutes.

Davenport had a big second quarter, scoring all six of her points in the period, including a rebound and put-back that capped off an 8-2 run that cut the MCM lead to 11-8.

The Lady Tigers held firm and went on an 8-2 run of their own and led 19-10 after a Smith 3-pointer with just over two minutes to play in the second quarter.

A Mealer bucket made it a seven-point contest at the half with the Lady Tigers in front 19-12.

The two squads exchanged buckets to begin the second half before Kirby took over, scoring eight in a row, including two long bombs to put Forrest in front for the first time at 22-21 with 1:35 remaining in the third period.

Mealer came up with steals and scored both times on fast break buckets before Bunty muscled in a basket to make it a 28-21 contest.

"We thought we could have some success if we pressured them full-court, but we couldn't score in the first half to set that up,” Bishop said. “Once we were able to settle in during the third quarter, we implemented several traps and got them out of their rhythm and scored a couple of easy baskets."

Melton knocked down two free throws to stop the bleeding and the Lady Rockets led 28-23, entering the fourth quarter.

It was a torrid pace in the fourth quarter as both teams fought for the lead with the Lady Tigers going up 30-28 before Inlow tied the game from the free throw line with 1:06 remaining in regulation.

“It was a critical moment, but Kinslee handled it just fine and helped us win the game with those two free throws,” Bishop said. “We have confidence in all our players to be able to knock down critical points at the free throw line late in games."

After an MCM turnover, Forrest had a chance to go ahead, but Hart came up with a steal and converted a three-point play the old fashioned way to make it a 33-30 ballgame.

Kirby knocked down two clutch free throws to make it one-point game, but Hays matched the feat at the other end to give the Lady Tigers a 35-32 lead with 12.4 seconds left.

MCM called timeout to set up the defense and the Lady Rockets moved up court and as time begin to tick away, Mealer received a pass in front of the Forrest bench and drilled the game-tying 3-pointer to send the game to overtime.

A Polly 3-pointer gave MCM a 38-36 with 1:53 remaining in the extra period before Forrest came back to take the lead on one Kirby free throw, followed by a Mealer rebound and put-back to make it 39-38.

A missed MCM field and a subsequent foul sent Mealer back to the charity stripe where she buried two more free throws with 23.7 seconds left.

Kirby sealed the Lady Tigers’ fate when she swiped the ball and was fouled, making both ends of a one-and-one situation sandwiched around an MCM timeout to seal the 43-38 win.

“Macyn just doesn't get tired,” Bishop said. “She plays with the type of motor, aggressiveness, and confidence that is associated with winning basketball.”

“We think from game one until now, she has made tremendous strides as a basketball player."

Forrest (4-5, 1-0) hosts Community (6-6, 1-0) on Friday and travels to Huntland (4-4) on Saturday before returning home for an intra-county battle with the Marshall County Tigerettes (2-8, 0-1) on Tuesday.

"This district is going to be a battle every game,” Kirby said. “Since we all have been together the past four years, this is as even as it has ever been.”

“We have to bring a toughness mentality every night, because every game will be one word….tough."

MCM 9 10 4 12 3-38

Forrest 2 10 16 7 8-43

MCM (38): Olivia Hart 17, Kaitlin Polly 10, Kathryn Hays 4, Addison Melton 4, Analyaiah Smith 3.

Three-Point Goals (3): Polly 2, Smith.

Free Throws (7-for-10): Hart 3-for-5, Hays 2-for-3, Melton 2-for-2.

Forrest (43): Laura Mealer 17, Macyn Kirby 12, Alex Davenport 6, Addison Bunty 4, Kinslee Inlow 3, Abbi Davenport 1.

Three-Point Goals (3): Kirby 2, Mealer.

Free Throws (12-for-17): Kirby 4-for-4, Inlow 3-for-4, Mealer 2-for-3, Alex Davenport 2-for-3, Abi Davenport 1-for-2, Megan Mealer 0-for-1.

Halftime Score: Murfreesboro Central Magnet 19, Forrest 12.