By MEL PERKINS

The Northgate Flames played host to the Lions from New Brighton on Tuesday night, and though the game got close at the end, the Lions snatched victory from the grasp of the Flames.

The Flames came into Tuesday's game with a 4 - 7 overall record, 1-3 in the section, and trying to rebound from a section loss to a very good Beaver Falls team last Friday night.

The Flames opened up the game in a 2 -3 zone defense, and showing a lot of patience on offense. Northgate was very comfortable in their offensive set, and they exhibited a very unselfish style, deliberately looking for the extra pass in an attempt to find the open man cutting through the lanes.

New Brighton would jump out to an early lead, and with 3 minutes left in the first quarter Coach Perry Harrop pulled the Flames out of their 2 -3 zone, and decided to have them match-up with the Lions in a man-to-man defense.

A 3-point shot by Mackenzie Quinn, and lay-ups by Jon Girvin and Josh Douglass, kept the game close in the first quarter, but with 2:30 left in the period, Girvin had to head to the bench with two personal fouls.

Northgate went 3 minutes without a basket until Jake Abernathy, coming off the bench, nailed a 3-point shot to get New Brighton's lead down to three with 30 seconds left in the first quarter. The quarter ended with the score 15-12, New Brighton.

Northgate started the second quarter by settling back into their 2 - 3 zone, but with the pressure turned up a notch. Midway through the second quarter, the Flames took a 20 - 19 lead on a Girvin lay-up, and on the inbounds play, an alert Dylan Muller grabbed an errant Lions' pass, and immediately put it up to give Northgate a 22 - 19 lead.

Late in the second quarter, Douglass picked up his third personal foul, setting the tone for the second half of play, where Harrop would have to navigate his way through the third and fourth quarters with two starters in foul trouble.

The Flames' pressure defense helped the offense generate points off of turnovers, as Northgate put up 18 points and held the Lions’ offense to 10 points in the second quarter. The Flames took a 30 - 25 lead into the locker room at halftime.

With starters in foul trouble, Harrop would have to go to his bench and rely heavily on Abernathy, Muller and Isaiah Driscoll in theb third quarter.

"Jake Abernathy gave us good contributions off the bench.” Harrop said. “He gave us some quality minutes, with good defense and scoring, especially with our big guys on the bench."

With three starters on the bench, the Flames managed to outscore the Lions 16 - 11 in the third quarter, and with the score 46-36, Northgate would take a 10-point lead into the fourth quarter.

The fourth quarter was not for the faint of heart, as the Flames struggled offensively. New Brighton fought to stay in the game, and with 4:50 left in the game, the Lions had closed the gap and were only down 5 points with the score 49-44.

With the score getting tight, Harrop called on his starters, bringing back Girvin, Dave Natale and Douglass. Girvin went right to work getting rebounds, driving to the hoop, and drawing fouls, however, with a minute left in the game New Brighton had hung around long enough to tie the score at 51.

The Flames would quickly regain the lead when Girvin grabbed a rebound and put it back up for a basket, making the score 53 - 51.

With 5 seconds left in the game, and New Brighton desperate for a basket, Natale picked-up a loose ball and passed it to Girvin, who immediately got fouled going to the hoop. Girvin, with 3 seconds left in the game, calmly sank both free throws to seal the deal and give the Flames the 55-51 win over New Brighton.

Girvin finished the night with a double - double, as he led the team with 18 points and 11 rebounds.

"The keys to the game were that for three quarters we handled the ball well, we were patient on offense, and our young players kept their composure," Harrop said. "Also, the play of our bench was a key to our win -- especially Abernathy and Muller."

The Flames' next game is Tuesday at Avonworth. "It's a big rivalry game, and we'll be ready for them. I know rivalry games, and I like 'em. We'll be ready!" Harrop said.