Freshman guard Diana Hurtado was able to grab an offensive rebound and put up the game winning shot as time expired Thursday night to beat the visiting Woodson Cavaliers, 43-42.

The shot halted a late rally by Woodson. Annandale had been up by as many as five points during the final minute of the game, but two late three pointers by the Cavaliers brought a scare to the home crowd.

With 20 seconds to go in the game, and the Atoms up by two, Hurtado was at the line facing a one and one. She missed the shot and Woodson guard Taylor Hayes was able to grab the rebound, sprint down the court, and find Melissa Gallo for the go-ahead three. Annandale was down 42-41 with nine seconds remaining.

After timeouts by both teams,  senior guard Nikki Clarke inbounded the ball to Hailey Brown. Brown quickly passed it back to Clarke who drove straight to the basket and put up a running floater about 11 feet away from the hoop. The shot clanged off the rim and fell straight into the arms of Hurtado, who was ready for the put back to beat the buzzer.

The crowd all stood up in an uncontrollable frenzy. Many of the loyal students at the game stormed the court and danced in celebration.

Although the Cavaliers just joined the Patriot District this year, this game will go down as a great moment in the rivalry’s history. The win brought the Atoms to 12-6 overall on the year, and 8-3 in the district. Woodson dropped to 13-6 and 8-4 in the district.

The win marked the second time that the Atoms have beaten Woodson this year. Earlier in the season, AHS also won 43-42. If the two meet in the upcoming district tournament, it is sure to be an exciting game.