For the first three quarters, the Helias Crusaders couldn't buy a free throw.
During the last one, they couldn't miss.
The Crusaders made just 11-of-23 from the charity stripe in the first 24 minutes and were clinging to a 31-29 lead against the Hickman Kewpies.
Helias turned it around when it counted, making 21-of-23 in the final eight minutes to pull away for a 60-47 win at Rackers Fieldhouse.
The Crusaders started their free-throw-shooting display by making their first five attempts in the final period. A miss led to four straight makes before their final miss. After that, they didn't miss, closing out the game by making 12 in a row.
"Free throws can be so mental with high-school kids, or college kids, or at any level, really," Helias coach Josh Buffington said. "I was proud to see our guys No. 1, get to the line - it's always a big goal of ours to make more than the other team attempts - and then No. 2, convert in some crucial situations."
And free throws have been a season-long bugaboo for the Crusaders. Even after Friday's hot finish, they're still shooting just 56 percent from the stripe.
"We hit some big ones tonight," Buffington said. "Then we continued to hit them so they coudn't get back in the game.
"Hickman's so athletic that if you miss some of those late, they can fly down, score in three seconds and then get back in their press. We didn't allow them to do that by making free throws in the fourth quarter."
Free throws were about the only kind of shots going through the basket. Helias won despite making just 12-of-38 field goals (32 percent), while Hickman was 17-of-49 (35 percent).
But the Crusaders hit perhaps their two biggest shots of the night to lead up to all those free throws. Clinging to that two-point lead, Helias hit its first 3-point attempt of the final quarter when Sam Husting canned one to make it 34-29.
Just 28 seconds later, after a Hickman turnover, Collin Caywood drilled another 3 to make it 37-29 and the Crusaders were on their way to the win.
"We were able to exhale at that point," Buffington said. "We've got great shooters - we're coming off a game where we were 13-of-25 on 3s - and we can't buy one through three quarters. All you can do is keep shooting them.
"Sammy bangs one home and Collin does the same and all of a sudden we're up eight, when before we were struggling just to keep it close."
But keep it close the Crusaders did, even though the Kewpies led for large portions of the first three quarters. Hickman led by as many as six in the first quarter, but Helias got back within 14-11 heading to the second.
The Crusaders then opened the second period with a 9-2 run to go up 20-16, but the Kewpies tied it at 21 at intermission.
Helias eventually took the lead for good on a layup by Isiah Sykes with 1:11 left in the third quarter that made it 28-27.
Sykes had a game-high 22 points, thanks in large part to making 14-of-20 free throws, but his more important contribution came at the other end of the court. He helped hold Jimmy Whitt to just eight points through the first three quarters, and while the Arkansas signee ended up with 20 after a big fourth quarter, Buffington was happy with effort.
"We did a tremendous job on him," Buffington said. "Isiah did a great job staying in front of him, but it was a collective effort when Jimmy did get through a seam. Our team defense was tremendous tonight."
Caywood joined Sykes in double figures for Helias with 11 points, going a perfect 8-of-8 from the free-throw line. Husting added 10 points and was also perfect from the stripe, making all four of his attempts.
Thomas Dutton had eight points in the first quarter for Hickman and ended up with 15. The Kewpies are now 13-9 and have lost six of their last seven.
Helias, which improved to 17-5, hosts Father Tolton at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday. The game is already a sellout and only those with advance tickets will be admitted.
Helias won Friday's JV game 48-40. Landon Harrison paced the Crusaders (13-6) with 15 points.