One day after learning that its captain had been sidelined with an injury, Upper Perkiomen's boys basketball team banded together to post an overtime win last weekend. The team hit a season-high 11 3-pointers, including two during the extra

Armani-Avant Brown, left, drives to the basket  against Oley Valley in the home opener on Dec. 8.

period, to post a 56-49 non-league victory over Kutztown.

            "When they go in, we are a dangerous team," head coach Michael DeCarolis said.

           Teammate Evan Bosler said that everyone was concerned when they learned Dan Carpenter, who got hurt two days earlier, would be out of the lineup. He said that they decided to maintain a positive attitude while communicating on a text thread.  "The guys were pretty upset," Bosler said. "But we decided we had to win for Dan."

            Bosler and Sean Badea, a sophomore, each delivered pivotal 3-point baskets early in overtime to help the Indians (2-4) snap a 44-44 tie. Armani-Avant Brown's foul shot with 2:41 remaining capped a 7-0 flurry on Saturday, Dec. 10.

            The Indians, playing without Carpenter for the second straight game, suffered a 57-48 road loss to Schuylkill Valley on Tuesday night. Owen Williams delivered a team-high 11 points.

            Brown registered 10 points for the Tribe (2-4), which led 25-24 at halftime but scored only six points during the decisive third quarter. Brown finished with eight points.

            Bosler, a Red Hill resident, finished with a team-high 14 points in his first career varsity start in the victory over the visiting Cougars. Braden Rieg posted 12 points, while Brown and Badea each contributed 11 points.

            "This is a great feeling," said Bosler, a junior who drained four 3-pointers. "Everyone is celebrating. An overtime win is something special, even though we could have won in regulation."

            Carpenter, the team's leading scoring through its initial four games, watched from the bench wearing a boot on his left foot. He used crutches to walk.

            The senior, who suffered the injury during a 72-53 loss to Oley Valley on Dec. 8, is out indefinitely, according to DeCarolis. The coach didn't know if, or when, Carpenter will return.  "We're in a holding pattern. We're taking it one day at a time," DeCarolis said. "We're waiting to hear from the doctor."

            After scoring the initial 10 points, the Indians went ahead 16-10 early in the second quarter on Brown's 3-pointer. Badea's 3-point shot from the right corner late in the second quarter put them ahead 24-20 at halftime.

            The lead ballooned early in the third quarter. Consecutive three-pointers by Rieg, off an assist from Brown, and Badea put Upper Perk ahead 30-22.

            The visiting Cougars took their first lead early in the fourth quarter. Four points by Andrew Fleming, who scored a game-high 20 points off the bench, capped a 6-0 run to put Kutztown ahead 36-34. A 3-pointer by Miles Schmidt, who finished with 14 points, staked Kutztown to a 42-39 advantage midway through the fourth quarter.

            However, the Tribe did not falter. Bosler's basket forced a 42-42 tie with 3:22 remaining in regulation. Aiden Keyser's layup one minute later forced overtime. The team held on for the victory despite shooting just 5-for-16 at the foul line.

            Two days earlier, Carpenter scored 12 points before getting hurt on a drive to the basket in the fourth quarter against the visiting Lynx. Brown finished with a team-high 16 points.

            Williams added eight points for the Indians, who trailed 41-27 at halftime after being outscored 23-14 in the second quarter. Badea and Rieg each finished with six points.