Up by seven points with 2:37 left in the fourth quarter Saturday afternoon, it looked like the Helias Lady Crusaders had things in hand against the Hickman Kewpies.
If they could make their free throws, that is. That's where things got interesting.
"I wasn't comfortable until that last possession," Helias coach Alan Lepper said as the Lady Crusaders held on for a 36-31 win against the Hickman Kewpies in the third-place game of the State Farm Holiday Hoops Invitational at Fleming Fieldhouse.
A three-point play on a layup and free throw by Lauren Alexander gave the Lady Crusaders a 33-26 lead with 2:37 remaining in the game.
And while Hickman didn't score again until there was less than a minute to play, Helias was missing its chances at the free-throw line. The Lady Crusaders missed the front end of three consecutive 1-and-1s to help keep the Kewpies in it.
"We have got to hit our free throws in that situation," Lepper said. "But that's basketball and we are going to work on those to get better."
A 3-pointer by Precious Smith of Hickman cut Helias' lead to 33-29 with :49.3 left. Emma Chapman then hit a pair of free throws with :34.7 left to make it 33-31.
Alexander gave Helias a four-point cushion, hitting two from the line to increase the Lady Crusaders' lead to 35-31 with :17.2 left. Ellie Rockers hit a late free throw to make the final margin 36-31.
After struggling offensively in Friday night's semifinal loss to St. Joseph Benton, Lepper wanted the Lady Crusaders to be more aggressive Saturday.
That strategy worked in the first quarter as Helias scored 13 points to take a six-point lead.
But the offense struggled to put points on the board in the second and third quarters. The Lady Crusaders made just one basket in the second quarter - a 3-pointer by Meagan Engelbrecht - and one in the third quarter - a 3-pointer by Erin Wyrick.
"Cover on the basket, whatever it was, we just couldn't score," Lepper said.
Hickman came back to take a 19-18 lead at the half. But the Lady Kewpies scored just one basket of their own in the third quarter and the game was tied at 21 with eight minutes to play.
Wyrick finished with 13 points for Helias, while Rockers pulled down a game-high 11 rebounds as both were named to the all-tournament team.
"They are both playing really, really well for us," Lepper said. "If we can work in some pieces around them, we have a chance to be a very good team by the time we get to the postseason."
Chapman, Hickman's representative on the all-tournament team, finished with 13 points and nine rebounds.
Lepper is pleased with the Lady Crusaders bringing a third-place plaque back down Stadium Boulevard.
"You don't want to win your first game and then lose two," he said. "It was huge that we won this game, this should help our confidence.
"We lost to a very good team in Benton (the eventual Invitational champion). We'll take 2-1."
Helias (5-6) will play Tuesday at Sedalia Smith-Cotton.