Straughn held Red Level to zero points in the second period and almost gave up a 22-point lead in the fourth, but managed to make some key free throws in a 46-38 victory to remain undefeated on the season.

SHS led 23-7 at half time and outscored RLS 10-5 in the third period to lead 33-15 going into the fourth.

Things didn’t get going the right way for RLS (7-5) from the start of the fourth, as a turnover led to a short run by JD Driver.

Hobie Hughes, who led SHS (7-0) with a double-double (11 points and 15 rebounds) got the back-end of a pair of free throws to put his team ahead 38-15 with 5:43 left in the game.

After Red Level’s William Crawford drained a free throw to put the game at 38-16, his Tigers went on a 7-0 run to put the game deficit back to within the teens.

“We tried to more or less to be patient and it got us out of our groove, and that was my fault,” SHS coach Rusty Andrews said. “They were tired, but they played so hard.”

KJ Lawrence hit the lane twice, a free throw and nailed a 3-pointer with 2:49 left to put RLS down 39-30, at which his team took a time out.

Lawrence got the ball back on a turnover and drove the lane for an easy bucket, untouched to make it a seven-point game.

Andrews said he knew RLS was going to make a come back.

“I knew we had to withstand a run, initially,” he said. “We missed three free throws on the front-end of a 1-and-1, and you can see that noose starting to tighten. All you have to do is make one. JD made one and everybody started to relax. You could see it.

“I really wasn’t concerned with the lead as much as I was concerned with our tempo,” he said. “We weren’t playing the style we needed to.”

In fact, Andrews was encouraging his players to finish strong on attacking the net.

Straughn then shot seven free throws to ice the game in the last 41.4 seconds, despite Lawrence’s constant offensive game.

Driver and Jasper Bowdoin chipped in nine points each for Straughn. Brice Scott added eight points. Rollin Kinsaul put in seven to pace SHS.

Lawrence led RLS with 19 points.

RLS coach Allen Catrett said that’s not how his team plays on a normal night.

“Straughn played four quarters of basketball, we played one quarter,” Catrett said. “You won’t win ball games like that.

“You’re going to have off nights on offense, but you shouldn’t on defense. Give credit to Straughn,” he said. “They played a good basketball game. We didn’t play well. They limited us to seven points in the first half, zero points in the second quarter.”

Catrett said he’s never coached a team where it scored zero points in a single quarter.

“When you have bad nights offensively, you’ve got to step it up defensively,” he said. “We stepped it up in the fourth quarter, but we didn’t play like we should have.”

In varsity girls action, Straughn beat RLS 59-19.

Brittany Driver led SHS (11-1) with 19 points. Taylor Wood chipped in 11 points.

In B-team action, SHS won 42-16.

Straughn’s game against Georgiana tomorrow night has been canceled due to a conflict in the Panthers’ gymnasium.

SHS will be back in action on Thursday at Opp to play in an area game.

Red Level hosts Opp tomorrow night.