The Upper Perkiomen boys basketball team came within seconds of posting its second win of the season last Saturday night in the consolation game of the Christopher Dock Holiday Tip-off Tournament.  But it wasn’t to be.

        Frankie Kennedy stole an in-bounds pass with just three seconds remaining in regulation, but a Springfield defender broke up the fast-break pass that could have resulted in a victory for the Tribe. Instead, the teams played an additional four minutes of basketball, and when it was over, the Spartans came away with a 49-43 win.

        Both teams had a chance early to take control of the game, but neither offense could muster any type of rhythm in the first half. Upper Perk committed nine turnovers in the first two quarters, while Springfield gave the rock away 14 times.

        Even more concerning for the Tribe was its inability to put the ball in the basket when the team had the opportunities to score. Upper Perk made only four of 20 attempts from the floor in the first half, and to make things even worse, they shot only 42 percent from the free throw line hitting on only five of their 12 attempts.

        Luckily for the Tribe, the Spartans struggled just as badly, and had it not been for the play of freshman Larry Clark, the Spartans may have scored only three points the entire first half. When the halftime horn sounded the teams headed to the locker room tied at 13.

        The Tribe needed a spark to turn things around in the third quarter, and found one in junior guard Matt Ruskey. Ruskey got an assist on the Tribe’s first possession as he hit Nate Weinstein with a pass that resulted in an easy bucket.  On the team’s next trip down the court, Ruskey hit Christian Zera with a pass that netted another basket. Ruskey then hit a pair of jump shots and Upper Perk jumped out to a six point lead.

        Just when it appeared the Tribe had found the secret to success things took a turn for the worse, and when the Spartans put together an eight-point run to close out the third quarter, the locals found themselves down a point heading into the fourth quarter.

        With both teams in the penalty the two squads combined for a total of 30 free throws in the second half, but none were bigger than the two that Upper Perk’s Joshua Wynder drilled with only 23 seconds remaining in the game that tied the score at 39.

        The overtime period, though, would belong to the Spartans as they outscored the Tribe 10-4 with eight of their 10 points coming at the free throw line.

        Springfield’s Clark led all scores as he collected 27 on the night. Upper Perk was lead by Wynder, who posted 12, followed by Weinstein with nine. Ruskey added eight.  The two teams combined for 47 turnovers. Upper Perk shot only 23 percent from the field including 1-18 from beyond the arc.  The Tribe went 16-32 from the free throw line, while the Spartans went 17-28. Springfield shot 39 percent from the floor, including 2-10 from three-point range.