Hair-raising game STAFF PHOTO BY DAN PARKER The game had not yet reached overtime, but Port Aransas High School Marlins player Drake Sawyer's hair did get raised as he battled for the ball with Pettus Eagles players. This was one game the boys likely will remember for the rest of their lives.

It was homecoming night, Friday, Jan. 19. They were a team with a 6-18 record, and they were facing a tough district opponent. They were down 11 points with less than two minutes to play at the end of the game.

And yet, the Port Aransas High School Marlins pulled it out, beating the Pettus Eagles 62-58 in overtime, to the roar of the biggest crowd of the year in Doyle Marek Gym.

"It was like a movie," said Marlins player Drake Sawyer.

"It was so intense," said Marlins player Cody Collins. "You could feel the energy flowing through there."

"Being homecoming, there were a lot of distractions that could have taken us away from our main objective," said Mark Spencer, coach of the Marlins. "But the team focused throughout."

Distractions? Indeed, during halftime, several of the Marlins players had to fulfill their roles as escorts for members of the homecoming court. For several minutes, they stood at half court, arm-in-arm with tiara-wearing girls, camera strobes flashing in their faces.

Towering above Port Aransas High School Marlins player Hunter Glasscock goes up for a shot during the Marlins' stirring come-from-behind homecoming triumph over the Pettus Eagles on Friday, Jan. 19. Yet, the Marlins played better in the second half than they did in the first. And then, when they found themselves more than 10 points behind late in the game, they went on an absolute tear.

With two minutes to play, the Marlins outscored Pettus 11-0. The run culminated with a 3-pointer from Reid Copeland to tie the game at 53- 53 with fewer than 10 seconds to play. It was Copeland's third 3-pointer in the quarter and his fifth in the game. He ended up with 17 points.

"A lot of (the victory) was Reid," Sawyer said later. "He made some crucial shots."

But other Marlins made large contributions throughout the game, too.

Charley Walker made a big steal and score in the 11-0 run. Jason Ardoin sparked the first quarter with 5 points in the period. Ryan Phillips hit a big bucket right when the Marlins needed it in the second quarter. Hunter Glasscock scored a seasonhigh 10 points, including four big points in overtime.

The Marlins outscored Pettus 9-5 in overtime, which included a 3-pointer by Matt White and a pair of free throws by Collins.

Copeland said the victory - which gave the Marlins a 2-1 record in district play - was a landmark game for the team.

"None of us probably will ever play college ball, so that night probably was the closest we'll ever come to playing for a really loud crowd," Copeland said. "It was just unbelievable." SCORING BY QUARTERS

1 2 3 4 OT F PA 6 15 15 17 9 62 PET 11 11 16 15 5 58 POINTS: COPELAND, 17; WALKER, 10; SAM BURT, 2; COLLINS, 4; WHITE, 9; BLAKE SAWYER, 3; PHILLIPS, 2; ARDOIN, 5; GLASSCOCK, 10.