UTICA — It was fitting that a knock-down-drag-out affair came down to a foul and a free throw.
Heckman knocked down the game-winning free throw with no time on the clock to lift the Utica girls basketball team to a 42-41 win over visiting Granville in Licking County League play Wednesday night.
“I was nervous,” Heckman said. “Sydney Hoover kind of calmed me down a little bit. When I got to the line, I thought my knees were going to buckle. I breathed in and looked at my teammates — I knew it was for my teammates. So, I had to make it.”
It wasn’t the only time Heckman came through in the clutch down the stretch. The senior guard hit a corner 3-pointer off a Shawna Blake pass to tie the game at 41 with 1:48 remaining.
Heckman finished with 14 points and a couple of assists for Utica (10-8, 7-5), which has won three consecutive games.
Emily Londot came through down the stretch on the defensive end for the Redskins. She had a pair of blocks on one possession with the game tied 41-41. Utica got the ball back with 33.9 seconds left after a backcourt violation. Londot finished with 20 points, 18 rebounds, three blocks and a pair of assists.
The teams exchanged turnovers to set up Heckman’s free throw.
“(The ball) touched every single person our team in the last 30 seconds,” Londot said. “I think that shows how selfless our team is. We all wanted the best shot possible, so we kept moving the ball. I was really hoping she’d make it or get fouled and she got fouled.”
Hoover had six points and a pair of steals, Blake had four rebounds and three assists and Scarlett Elliott had three rebounds for Utica.
Londot scored four points and added an assist in a 6-0 run that staked Utica to a 38-32 lead with 5:23 left.
But Granville scored the next nine points with the last three coming on an Ella Schneider long ball that gave the Blue Aces a 41-38 lead with 3:40 remaining.
Schneider also hit a key 3-pointer to cut Utica’s biggest lead of seven to 34-30 at the end of the third quarter. Schneider scored all of her eight points in the second half for Granville.
The game was within two possessions for much of the rest of the night.
Londot had six points during an 11-5 start for Utica.
But Avery Adkins buried a 3-pointer at the buzzer to pull the Aces within 11-8 at the end of the first quarter.
Granville’s Lainie Hilaman had a pair of baskets and four steals, but left the game a little more than three minutes in with a knee injury.
Londot put back her miss to tie the game at 22 going into the half, capping a back-and-forth second quarter.
Kylee Lescas had 14 points and a couple of steals and Ella Rogers had eight points, four assists, four rebounds and three steals for Granville, which dropped out of first place in the league.
Ava Grossman added five rebounds and a pair of steals and Ella Hoover contributed four rebounds, two assists and a couple of steals to back the Aces (14-4, 9-2), who’s pressure defense had 16 steals for the game.
“It was a battle,” Utica coach Terry Logue said. “It was an outstanding victory for us tonight. They’re flat-out quick. Ella Rogers is probably the best defender in the league.”
Next up, Utica goes out of league Saturday when it hosts Granville Christian. Action is set to start at 4:30 p.m.