Superior Central took the CarneyNadeau Wolves to the wire in Eben Junction on Tuesday, A heroic threepoint shot by Drew Begovac with less than ten seconds left was the difference in the 44-43 victory.

SC Head Coach Adam Ely said that the play was a team effort from the rebound off of a free throw by Trent Rutter to Logan Frusti advancing the ball and Begovac taking the shot.

“It might have been the loudest I’ve ever experienced the gym. It was nice to hear,” Ely said.

It was a back and forth contest for the Cougars and Wolves, with the home team leading down by a point heading into the fourth quarter. Jason Kanerva, a senior football player joining the basketball team for the first time this year to round out the roster, led the Cougars in scoring for the final quarter in the post. It kept SC in the contest until they could set up the final shot for the win.

According to Ely, Superior Central avoided snowball plays — a situation where one bad possession could compound into a larger problem that would be too big for the team to overcome.

“To have a game where we didn’t have a snowball moment is a big deal, because things get carried away,” he said.

Rutter led the Cougars in scoring with 20 points, as six of the seven players scored for SC. Ashton Wandahsega was the top scorer for Carney-Nadeau with 13.

Superior Central is now 3-8 on the season, but have won two of their last three games, after losing to Stephenson 55-29 on Jan. 20 and defeating Republic-Michigamme 46-26 on Jan. 17. Ely said the late-game execution of the team is improving and was crucial to the win against Carney-Nadeau. He’s hoping that getting a taste of victory will help the Cougars.

“When you’re only experiencing losing, you don’t really know what you’re missing. You get a couple wins and compete better, the desire to continue that is there,” he said.

Superior Central travels to Rapid River Friday night in a rivalry matchup before hosting Mid Peninsula on Tuesday, Jan. 31.