LINDEN &045; It took three free throws in the last 10 seconds of the game before the Linden Lady Patriots could say they had a win.

Quantoiriya Harris sank one of two free throws with 10 seconds left in the game to give Linden a 43-41 lead. The Marengo Lady Panthers would call time out, but had none left, resulting in a technical foul. With the clock reading 4.8 seconds, Harris calmly sank both free throws to seal a 45-41 victory of Marengo.

Linden scored the first points of the game and never trailed. Their full court pressure in the first quarter resulted in turnovers, and helped the Lady Patriots reach a 11-6 lead after one quarter.

Both teams began to turn the ball over in the second quarter, but Linden made the most of the Lady Panther turnovers, taking a 22-12 half-time lead.

Marengo, whose team has no seniors or junior, fought back in the third quarter to cut its deficit to six points. Terrica Craig would score the last seven points of the quarter for the Lady Patriots to give her team a 35-27 advantage after three quarters of play.

Linden held an eight-point lead for the first four minutes of the final quarter. Their shooting went cold for the next three and a half minutes. Meanwhile, the Lady Panthers would scratch its way to cut the lead to 42-40 with 48 seconds showing on the clock. Marengo’s Cassandra Thomas, who scored 10 points in the quarter, sank one of two free throw attempts to make it a one-point game. Harris would get foul on Linden’s ensuing possession.

&8220;Our offense started out slow, but our defense played well,&8221; said Sheronda Agee, Lady Panther coach. &8220;There were times in the game where the ball just wouldn’t fall for us, but overall as a team we played well.&8221;

Thomas of Marengo, whose record fall to 7-7 for the season, led all scorers with 19 points. The Lady Patriots record stands at 11-6.