AMERICAN FALLS – Zoie Armstrong caught the ball at the top of the key. She was open. She had space. She could have shot a good-looking 3-pointer and taken her chances. But the Marsh Valley senior guard had already executed that earlier in the game. It was time to diversify, to dive into a tsunami and hope she came up kicking.

There was a hair over 15 seconds on the clock when Armstrong pump faked and drove into danger. The game was tied, so perhaps a two-point attempt was a wise choice. Yet, as she dribbled right and split the free-throw line, bodies collapsed. Suddenly, she was invisible. She was in the eye of the storm and everyone was waiting for a head to pop up.

Enclosed by white American Falls jerseys, Armstrong picked up her dribble and flicked the ball from her hip. It seemed like a surefire foul, if not a turnover. Then the orange speck rose above the scrum, kissed the glass and fell through the net.

Game-winner.

“I’m the one who has to make those plays. At the end when I see something open, I just go for it,” said Armstrong, who scored a game-high 20 points. “I have all the confidence -- you have to have all the confidence when you’re making those plays.”

The Beavers’ last-second attempt was no good, giving Marsh Valley a 49-47 overtime win in the opening game of the 3A District 5 tournament. The Eagles move to the winner’s bracket and will play at Snake River on Thursday. American Falls is now a loss away from elimination and will play the Snake River/Marsh Valley loser on Saturday.

“Our district can go any way. Snake is a good team. Marsh is a good team. And I feel like we battle them both,” American Falls coach Stephen Grigg said. “Any given night, I think our district can be won by any team.”

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There was a little over an hour between Marsh Valley’s final bell and last call to board the bus to American Falls. Especially in a small town, most would have went home for a little bit. Grab a snack. Watch an episode of some Netflix show. Maybe take a cat nap.

Armstrong and a few other teammates went to the Marsh Valley locker room instead. They threw on their game sweats and went to the basketball court. With no headphones in, Armstrong tried to find her game-like Zen. She hucked up basketballs for about an hour, fixating on the shots she would most likely take during the game.

That included taking a few cracks at some long-range 3-pointers.

“I just think you have to make sacrifices like that and if you want to win, you have to do stuff like that,” Armstrong said. “I felt like I was prepared.”

In the last minute of regulation, it showed. Trailing for the entire first half, Marsh Valley took a one-point lead into the fourth quarter. Down the stretch, though, American Falls’ length inside, highlighted by 17 points from senior forward Emma Barclay, seemed like too much to overcome for the Eagles.

Down three with 47 seconds left, Marsh Valley coach Kyle McQuivey called a timeout to draw up a play.

“We have a play that we call, ‘Box,’” McQuivey said. “We modified it from an out-of-bounds play and we had our two 3-point shooters -- one in the corner and (Armstrong) up top. Then if we don’t get the 3-point shot, our post will screen and cut down. We put a one-two-three option on it.”

There was no need for options two or three. Marsh Valley dribbled a few seconds off the clock as the play developed. Armstrong set a screen for junior Sophie Hadley, then found her post at the top of the key. Armstrong’s defender was playing a few paces off her -- and for good reason. Most high school girls’ basketball players aren't launching 30-footers, let alone making them.

But Marsh Valley needed a triple and Armstrong had space, she had confidence and she had experience nailing the same shot while waiting for the bus. So she leaned forward and raised up.

“A lot of her shots are far, and a lot of them go in,” McQuivey said. “When she released it, I said, ‘Ah, that’s going to be close.’”

Swish.

Marsh Valley then made a trio of defensive stops to send the game to overtime, where Armstrong’s layup secured the Eagles’ victory. But the enduring image of Tuesday was Armstrong after the long triple flushed.

She didn’t so much backpedal as she skipped backwards, like an overachieving kid who knows how cool they are. The whole time, her head bobbed. She nodded back on defense. Nodded at the crowd. And nodded to the huddle when a timeout was called. For all those who either doubted her or the Eagles, she was nodding at them, letting them know she was up for a challenge.

“I’ve been practicing for those all my life, so I was ready for it,” Armstrong said. “(It’s like when) you’re at practice and you're back there throwing up shots and you’re cheering with your team. Then it actually happens and you’re like, 'Oh I was training for this. It actually did help.'”

Marsh Valley (13-9, 2-3) travels to Snake River on Thursday at 7:00 p.m.

American Falls (14-8, 2-3 3A District 5) plays the loser of that game on Saturday at 7:00 p.m.

MARSH VALLEY 49, AMERICAN FALLS 47 (OT)

Marsh Valley 8 13 17 6 5 — 49

American Falls 15 10 12 7 3 — 47

Marsh Valley — Armstrong 20, Hadley 9, Christensen 6, Bennett 5, Sutton 4, Lunt 3, Ab. Marshall 2.

American Falls — E. Barclay 17, Bell 10, Long 9, Adair 6, Fehringer 5.