JACKSON TWP — Winning in Section 3-AAAA sometimes means simply surviving against your opponent.

That's what Seneca Valley did Thursday night.

The Raiders watched a 16-point lead melt away as North Hills pulled even at 60-all with 2:26 left in the game. Sophomore guard Jack Cook drained a 3-pointer 35 seconds later to put Seneca ahead for good in a 64-62 boys basketball nail-biter over the Indians at William Paul Gymnasium.

“This section is starting to resemble the NCAA Tournament,” said Raiders' coach Victor Giannotta. “Survive and advance.”

The Indians' hopes came down to an off-balanced 3-point attempt from Nick Sabolovic in the final seconds. The senior guard had Dakota Topf in his face and after double-clutching, his shot was short of the mark.

The final sequence began with the Indians inbounding the ball underneath Seneca's basket with five seconds left following a timeout.

“We got the ball in to Kindhal (Taylor), he's our fastest player,” said North Hills coach Buzz Gabos. “He did a good job of getting the ball up the floor and made a good pass. At the end, I thought we had a good look.

“We didn't shoot well from 3-point range tonight (5-of-23),” he added. “We've been averaging between eight and 10 a game.”

Seneca held a 46-30 lead with 4:27 left in the third quarter, but the Indians managed a 17-8 run to close the period.

Seneca senior forward Zach Snyder, who would end the night with a game-high 24 points, then went to the bench with three personal fouls early in the fourth.

“That helped,” Gabos said of Snyder's absence for much of the final quarter. “Offensively, we stayed composed. At the other end, we took some charges.”

Chris Hart, a freshman guard/forward, hit a 3-pointer to extend SV's lead to 59-55 with 4:01 to play. Cook's trifecta came minutes later.

“Chris and Jack have both made clutch plays for us,” said senior point guard Chad Izenas. “We have all the confidence in them.”

The Raiders (5-1, 2-0) have had their six games decided by a combined 23 points and none by more than seven points.

“We stick with it,” said Izenas. “We just seem to find a way to win.”

Topf supported Snyder's effort with 12 points.

The Indians (3-3, 1-2) had four players score in double figures, led by sophomore guard Nick Smith's 19.

This was the second game in a three-day span in which Seneca let a sizeable second-half lead slip away. In Tuesday's victory over Greensburg Central Catholic, the Centurions cut a 16-point deficit to just four points before the Raiders sealed the deal.

“We have to learn to play with a lead,” said Giannotta. “We can't let teams creep back into the game.”

NORTH HILLS 62

Kindhal Taylor 6 0-0 13, Nick Sabolovic 5 0-0 13, Andrew Vojtko 4 4-4 13, Nick Smith 7 5-5 19, Luke Chutko 2 0-0 4, Matt Reiner 0 0-0 0, Drew Schwab 0 0-0 0. Totals: 24 9-9 62.

SENECA VALLEY 64

Zach Snyder 10 4-5 24, Jack Cook 2 0-0 6, T.J. Holl 3 1-2 8, Chad Izenas 3 2-4 9, Dakota Topf 5 1-2 12, Chris Hart 2 0-0 5, Cody Boozel 0 0-0 0, Matt Dramble 0 0-0 0. Totals: 25 8-13 64.

North Hills 14 12 21 15 — 62

Seneca Valley20 13 21 10 — 64

3-point goals: North Hills 5 (Sabolovic 3, Vojtko, Taylor); Seneca Valley 6 (Cook 2, Holl, Izenas, Topf, Hart).

Today: Seneca Valley vs. Freedom, Quicken Loans Arena (Cleveland), 3:15 p.m.