If a basketball team had the opportunity to choose which quarter they would make their free throws, they would most likely select the fourth quarter. Grantsville did just that as they started out 1-for-10 from the free throw line in the first three quarters only to sink 17-of-22 down the stretch.

Free throws happened to be a key element in Grantsville turning in a workmanlike 50-45 victory over Bear River on Robert W. “Ace” Williams court in Grantsville Wednesday night.

In usual fashion, Grantsville didn’t have just one player stick out as a star, it was every single Cowboy that got in the game and contribute something. Josh Harrison led Grantsville with 14 points followed closely by Caleb Nesbitt with 12. Damon Deavila, who is usually known for his defense and passing ability at the point, also chipped in nine points.

“We don’t have a go-to guy and tonight that worked for us because the whole team was a threat,” said Grantsville coach Shane Heath.

Defense set the tone early for Grantsville as they held Bear River to a single basket for the first seven minutes of the game. A balanced scoring attack for the Cowboys helped them jump out to a 9-2 run which was capped by an offensive rebound and put back by Nesbitt.

Bear River managed a PJ Steveson jump shot near the foul line with 39.2 seconds left in the first to cut into the Cowboy lead after one to 9-4.

With a layup by Deavila followed by a 3-pointer from Harrison, Grantsville claimed a 17-9 lead in the second with 2:15 remaining. The Cowboy lead could have been much higher if they didn’t shoot 1-of-7 from the charity stripe in the first half.

Bear River did end the first half by scoring the final five points, which was capped by a hard drive through the lane by Blaine Worrell for a layup and then converted the foul shot for the 3-point play. The five straight Bear points cut the Grantsville lead to 17-14 at the half.

Josh Harrison came out aggressive in the third quarter and scored five points in a row for Grantsville to help the Cowboys jump out to a 7-2 run to begin the second half. A post bucket by Ben Tripp finished off the run and gave Grantsville a 24-16 lead with 4:15 left in the third.

Both teams shared baskets to finish off the third quarter but the Cowboys still held a 30-21 lead heading into the final quarter. That final quarter turned into a free throw shooting contest and Grantsville was up to the task.

Bear River never had a grasp on the lead throughout the game but inched closer after a layup by Will Riley cut the Grantsville lead to 40-35 with 2:18 to play.

That is when Eli Hamm stepped up and drained two free throws and Nesbitt found an open lane for a layup to make the score 44-35. With the way Grantsville was shooting free throws down the stretch, that was too much of a lead to lose as they held on for a five-point victory.

“I thought the kids played well and played to win in the fourth quarter instead of trying not to lose,” Heath said. “We handled all the adversity well and we are playing good on our home court.”

Grantsville, now 2-2 in Region 11, will travel to Morgan on Friday to face the Trojans at 7 p.m.

Jake Gordon: jgordon@tooeletranscript.com