So naturally, the West Rowan girls figured out a way to win.

The Falcons (20-5) outlasted heated rival East Rowan 68-59 in double overtime Wednesday night in Kannapolis in a 3A South Piedmont Conference Tournament semifinal game that left even fans exhausted.

West advances to face Concord in Friday’s finals. East (18-8, with three losses in four games to West) can prepare for next week’s Sectionals on the same floor.

“Both teams were so emotional,” said West coach Angie Waddell. “It was thrilling. Everyone got their money’s worth.”

“We had it won — had it won a couple of times,” said drained East coach Randy Bingham, whose team was on the verge of walking away a winner at both the end of regulation and the first overtime.

But the fourth-seeded Mustangs, who had four players go the distance, couldn’t make a field goal in the overtimes and couldn’t convert key free throws that would’ve made the difference.

Still, it was one of the best basketball games ever played in historic Bullock Gym — one of those rare contests that truly had no loser.

Lora Williams had a remarkable game for East with 14 points and 17 rebounds. Nicole Loggins and Emily Rich scored 13 each. Stephanie Morgan added 10 points.

Goodman, as usual, was a prickly thorn for the Mustangs, pouring in 25 points for West. Schenk scored 14, while Pieper added 12 — all late. Shameeka Wansley added a critical double-double with 11 points and 12 boards.

It began as all East-West games have this season, with the Falcons’ quickness producing an early lead. When Pieper fed Wansley for a three-point play, the top-seeded Falcons led 18-8 in the opening seconds of the second quarter.

But then came a dazzling burst of outside shooting from East over the top of West’s zone. Rich hit four straight jump shots, including a 3-pointer, and Loggins added three bombs, two of them 3-pointers. The result was a 24-point Mustang second quarter and a 32-29 halftime lead.

Goodman, bad ankle and all, scored 18 points in the first 18 minutes of the game to keep West close. But when the aggressive forward got in foul trouble, all the momentum was in East’s corner.

Williams kept pounding the boards and the Mustang lead kept growing. When Rich nailed a jumper with 3:45 left to play, East had its biggest lead at 53-44. And when Williams calmly stuck in two free throws to make it 55-48 at the 1:38 mark, East looked to be home free.

The Mustangs still led by seven at 1:10, when Pieper, who had struggled with her shot the entire game, sank a desperation 3-pointer from the corner.

Then a Loggins free throw rimmed out and Goodman responded with a 3 from the wing with 48 seconds remaining.

Brooke Misenheimer split two free throws with 18 seconds left for a two-point East lead, but Goodman drove hard with five seconds left, drew a foul and sent the game into overtime with two ice-water free throws.

Now, West had the momentum, but it disappeared 34 seconds into the first overtime when Goodman, dueling with Loggins for a rebound, finally fouled out.

“You had to feel like getting her out of there had to help us,” said Bingham.

Loggins made one free throw to put East ahead and the lead inched to 59-56 when Misenheimer sank two more with 46 seconds to go. Then with Goodman on the bench and West seemingly dead, Schenk took charge, sinking a 3-pointer from the top with 30 seconds to go to knot matters once again.

“I hadn’t made anything all night,” said Schenk. “But that one I knew was going in. It had to.”

Loggins was fouled with 18 seconds left. But her first free throw went all the way down, then popped out —and Schenk, who like Loggins, Misenheimer, Williams and Rich never left the floor, emerged from a sea of diving bodies with the rebound when Loggins’ second try was short.

“Usually,” said Schenk, “you take East making free throws for granted. We were lucky.”

Neither team got off another shot and the teams headed for a second overtime, as fans on both sides shrieked approval.

Schenk fed Pieper for a quick bucket as West took control in the second overtime.

Both weary teams struggled and staggered for the next few minutes, until Danielle Scearce, who had replaced Goodman, put in an offensive rebound at 1:15 for a 63-59 lead.

“Danielle — she was just rebounding like crazy,” said Waddell.

Three free throws by Pieper and two by Schenk pushed the lead all the way to nine points, and Scearce cleaned the glass as the Mustangs fired feverishly and futilely from the 3-point line down the stretch.

“We wanted it — gave it everything we had,” said Rich. “We know we played hard. We’ll keep our heads up and get ready for the playoffs.”

Asked about a possible fifth meeting with East in the state 3A playoffs, Schenk expressed amazement.

“They’re in the playoffs?” she said. “Well, maybe we’ll see them again.”

EASTROWAN(59) — Loggins 13, Misenheimer 9, Williams 14, Rich 13, Morgan 10, Roberts, Haynes.

WESTROWAN(68) — Goodman 25, Schenk 14, Pieper 12, McNeely 2, Wansley 11, Sloop 2, Scearce 2.

East 8 24 14 10 3 0— 59