The game was tight throughout, as the game was tied 16 times and had 13 lead changes. Neither team was able to build a substantial lead, as La Roche’s largest lead was seven, and Bethany’s was six. Demetris Pringle sent the game to overtime for the Red Hawks when he converted a running layup with 14 seconds left in regulation. Pringle led his team with 22 points in the contest.
In the first overtime session, La Roche took a five-point lead (82-77) with 2:18 left on a layup by Stacy Grady. However, Bethany finished with a 5-0 run to force a second overtime. Bison junior, Scott Mezyk, had a chance to give the Bison a lead with five seconds left, as he was fouled and went to the free-throw line for two shots. He missed the first, but converted the second attempt to tie the score at 82. Grady missed a three-pointer as time expired in the first overtime for the Red Hawks.
Bethany started the second overtime with a 6-0 run to jump ahead by a score of 88-82 with 2:50 remaining. La Roche was able to come back and tie the game with two Carlo Dorazio free-throws with 1:17 left. Both squads missed three-point attempts in the final minute, including a Dorazio attempt with one second left, which sent the game to a third overtime.
As expected, the game went back and forth in the third overtime. Brandon DuncaN gave BC a 95-94 lead with a free-throw with 1:12 left, but La Roche tied it up when Devin Taylor went 1-for-2 from the free-throw line with 26 ticks on the clock. After a timeout, Jim Deep made a pass through traffic to Drahos, who was posing up in the middle of the lane. Drahos tossed in a baby-hook as time expired to give Bethany a thrilling 97-95 win.
Mike Drahos added 21 points and eight rebounds for the Bison, while Deep contributed 19 points and the game-winning assist. James Wallace also notched double-digits in points with 10 on 5-of-8 shooting from the field.
Bethany will put its five-game winning streak on the line on Tuesday, December 14, at home against Hiram at 7 p.m.