Lauren Anten celebrated her final regular season home game in grand fashion with a double-double including the game-winner on a turnaround jumper from the right baseline with the shot clock winding down as Hilton downed Gates-Chili 52-46 in girls basketball.
Aside from Anten, Michaela Timmons, Brynn Gay and Erin O’Toole were other seniors honored prior to the game.
The Cadets led by seven points after the first quarter, but watched that lead diminish to just three points at the half.
They then managed just eight points offensively over the entire third quarter as Gates-Chili built their own seven-point advantage.
But the Cadets outscored the Spartans 17-4 during the final eight minutes, including the final 12 points of the contest to eke out the win.
Down by six with four minutes remaining, Anten hit a pair of lay-ups sandwiching an inbounds field goal by Cameron Graupman to tie the game 46-46 with 2:12 remaining.
Anten’s game-winning shot came with 53 seconds left and Graupman sealed the victory with a steal at the defensive end and by going 4-for-4 from the free throw line down the stretch.
“Our third quarter was reminiscent of our loss in the playoffs to Victor,” Hilton head coach Jeff Eichas said. “Anten bailed us out and we pulled through.”
Anten finished with 24 points and ten rebounds, Graupman had 16 points while sophomores Allison Strauss and Brienne Stike had five and four points respectively.
The Cadets had two games remaining in the regular season and were on pace for a fourth seed in the Section V playoffs, which would give them a first round bye and a second round home game in the playoffs.
