Byron-Bergen led throughout despite having only five players available for most of the contest and playing with only four for a few minutes in the third quarter. But they allowed Leroy to score nine unanswered points in the final two minutes before a blocking foul with four seconds remaining gave the Knights the game-winner from the foul line in a 47-46 loss in girls basketball.
The Bees built an 8-0 lead on baskets by Kelsey Fuller, Miriam Tardy, Emily Kaczmarek along with two free throws by Juliana Amesbury and used a 1-3-1 defense to lead 11-5 after the first quarter.
Two field goals by Kaczmarek to open the second made it a ten-point advantage, but the Bees managed just five more points in the stanza as their lead became just two at halftime.
Fuller hit a put-back and Tardy a breakaway basket to start the second half while Becca Velasco hit a lay-up before the Bees injury trouble forced them to play with only four players midway through the third quarter for a few minutes.
Tardy’s jumper and an old-fashioned three-pointer by Amesbury plus a put-back by Fuller put the Bees back up by eight heading to the final quarter.
A three-pointer by Amesbury followed by Elizabeth Donnelly’s bank shot extended the Bees lead to nine points about halfway through the fourth, but Leroy tallied the final ten points of the game to eke out the win.
Amesbury, the team’s leading scorer this season, unofficially finished with a double-double with 16 points and ten boards while Tardy led with 11 rebounds. Fuller had 14 points with nine rebounds and Kaczmarek added six points for the 0-3 Bees.
