WARDSVILLE, Mo. - The Blair Oaks Lady Falcons only had one field goal in the entire fourth quarter, but they picked the perfect time to get it.
Fresh off squandering a nine-point lead by giving up a 10-0 run to the Battle Spartans, the Lady Falcons found themselves trailing with less than two minutes to go.
Enter Kellie Fredendall.
The 5-foot-11 junior came up with a crucial three-point play with 1:46 remaining and while Battle tied it moments later, Blair Oaks wouldn't trail again, winning 41-40. It was one of just two field goals in the game for Fredendall, but it was the biggest one of the game.
"Kellie has dominated people all year long - in my opinion, she's one of the top two or three post players in the conference," Blair Oaks coach Kevin Kohler said. "She scores on everybody, but (Battle's Maya Mouton) is just so tall and so long, it took Kellie out of it a little bit. But she stepped up when we needed her to."
Mouton tied the game at 40 just 12 seconds after Fredendall's play, but Sydney Wilde hit 1-of-2 free throws with 1:28 left for the game's final point.
Battle had a 3-point attempt at the buzzer to win it, but couldn't get it to fall.
"We'd like to score 60, but we'll take 41 when the other team gets 40," Kohler said with a smile. "We can live with that."
Blair Oaks matched its biggest lead of the game when Cassidy Prenger made two free throws with 5:01 left to put the Lady Falcons ahead 37-28. But the scoring dried up as Blair Oaks turned the ball over eight times in the quarter against the Battle full-court press.
"We freaked out a little at the end, but not at the very end," Kohler said. "... Vince Lombardi once said when he lost a close game that, "We didn't lose, we ran out of time.' Well tonight, the clock was our friend at the very end. We were happy to see it run out."
The tight finish probably should have been expected after the first quarter featured five lead changes and four ties. Blair Oaks eventually emerged from the back-and-forth period with a 16-11 lead.
"We had a really good first quarter," Kohler said.
Blair Oaks then outscored Battle 9-8 in the second quarter to lead 25-19 at halftime. An 8-5 advantage in the third made it 33-24 in favor of the Lady Falcons heading to the final period.
"There were some lead changes and mistakes and blown assignments, but that's just basketball. That's what makes it fun," Kohler said. "When the kids do exactly what they're supposed to do and it works, that's why you work so hard at it."
Macyn Wilbers racked up 13 points - the only Lady Falcon to reach double figures - and grabbed a team-high eight rebounds.
"Macyn had a really good game, and she needed that," Kohler said.
Mouton ended up with a double-double for Battle (8-13), posting game highs with 16 points and 10 rebounds.
Blair Oaks ended up with a 37-26 rebounding edge.
"For us, it has to be about defense and rebounding," Kohler said. "We don't have three or four players who can sit out there and knock down 3s. So we have to play defense, we have to rebound, for us to be successful."
Blair Oaks returns to action Thursday when it travels to California.
"We can't wait to play them," Kohler said. "California is the complete opposite team of what we are. They're small and quick and great shooters; we're big and strong and have to play physical.
"They press and we'll have to handle the press. If we step up and do what we need to do, it will be interesting."
In the JV game, Blair Oaks captured a 38-35 win. Ashley Fifer scored 11 points to lead the Falcons (12-4).