MISHAWAKA, Ind. — It was the closest game of the season in the Gates Gymnasium Wednesday night, with the Bethel Pilots (4-3, 1-0) defeating the Goshen Maple Leafs (3-3, 0-1) 57-55 in the US Highway 20 Cup.
Justyce Williams dropped 15 points on 7-for-15 (46%) and four rebounds, and Olivia Nickerson hit 15 points on 4-for-8 (50%) shooting and 3-for-7 from beyond the arc.
Between both sides, 37 points were scored off 47 total turnovers, and the Maple Leafs scored 26 of their 55 points in the paint.
The first quarter was tied twice: at 4:41, from a split pair at the line 9-9, and from Caroline Morris’ layup at 2:31, 11-11. It was a one-possession game throughout the first, with the quarter ending with a 14-14 tie.
The second was gridlocked for about eight minutes at 14-14 until Williams broke the silence at 4:42 with a jumper to give the Pilots the lead, 16-14.
Goshen tied the game 22-22 at 1:18 in the second from a pair at the charity stripe then Bethel went into halftime up by three after a pair made at the line by Isabel Scales with 31 seconds left in half, then a jumper by Williams with the clock expiring, 27-24.
Bethel hit a seven-point lead at 3:19 from a triple 37-30, but Goshen deleted the lead and went up 38-37 after two back-to-back threes at 2:40 and 1:58.
In crunch time, the Maple Leafs tied the game 51-51 with 52 seconds left in regulation, then Nickerson hit both free throws at 51 seconds, then Williams split a pair at 26 seconds before Goshen called a timeout.
Goshen answered with a pair at the line at 22 seconds, 54-53 BU, then a free throw battle ensued with Goshen at the line with 1 second left, missed the first and lost the chance to miss the second and score to tie, then hit the second free throw to seal the 57-55 Bethel victory.
The Pilots face a challenge in their next Crossroads League game in Huntington, Ind. on Saturday, Nov. 23 at 1 p.m. against the Huntington Foresters.