In a game that went down to the wire, the Gators escaped with the victory as a last-second shot from the Blue Devils fell just a few inches short. Instead of forcing overtime, the Blue Devils walked away with a tough 17-15 loss in the second- and third-grade division Wednesday at the East Lawrence Center.

After winning the tip-off, the Gators (3-3 overall) wasted no time getting on the board as Trevor Munsch took the ball down the floor and sank an eight-foot jumper for two of his game-high 10 points. Munsch displayed his ability to drive to the basket as he split two Blue Devil defenders for a layup at the end of the first quarter.

The Blue Devils (1-5 overall) came out fighting in the second quarter and with stingy defense, holding the Gators scoreless while going on a 6-0 run to give themselves a 7-5 lead going into halftime. Joseph Otto sparked the Devils with a steal and a layup for the first points of the quarter. The next time down the floor, Otto jumped past a Gator defender to save a loose ball and, in a heads-up play, was able to get it to his teammate, Marcelino Cortez, who put the ball through the hoop for two more Blue Devil points.

After the break, the Gators took the cue from the Blue Devils’ second-quarter intensity to go on a run of their own. Munsch and Collin McKee came out on fire, scoring all 10 of the Gators’ third-quarter points. Gator coach Joe Dineen couldn’t have been more impressed with his team’s first performance after break.

“We haven’t practiced since break, so I was surprised when they came out and played awesome,” Dineen said. “They must have stored up tons of energy over the break.”

Gator Trevor Munsch dribbles the ball down court as a Blue Devils tries to steal the ball Wednesday at the East Lawrence Center. Munsch had a game-high 10 points.

They had just enough energy to hold off another Blue Devil run in the fourth quarter. With inspired play from Cortez and guard Noah Huston, the Devils fought to a 15-17 deficit with just 25 seconds left in regulation. During the run, Cortez and Huston combined for five steals and Cortez poured in four more points.

The final 19 seconds of the game saw nearly every player from each team diving on the floor for a loose ball that eventually came up in the Gators’ hands after a held ball ruling by an official. That didn’t ensure victory, however, as a double-dribble quickly turned the ball over to the Blue Devils for a shot to tie the game with one second left on the clock. After drawing up their play during a timeout, the Devils got the ball to Huston for an open look that fell short of sending the game into extra minutes.

“I was really excited and just threw it up there,” Huston said.

Coach Dineen said he thought the last shot went in and was relieved when he saw that it didn’t fall. The game certainly had both Gators and Blue Devils fans on the edge of their seats throughout a game of runs. With defense and a little luck from the rim, the Gators were able to hold off the final Blue Devil run and go home with the win.