KARNS CITY — What looked like a blowout was becoming a blow-up.

Then Emily Hegedus diffused a furious Union rally and Karns City secured a 63-51 girls basketball victory Saturday evening.

The Gremlins (3-1) had closed the first half with a 9-0 run and took a 37-17 lead into halftime. But when Lexey Shick sank a 3-pointer with 7:43 left in the game, winless Union had put together an 11-2 run of its own to pull within 44-36.

“They had the momentum and were coming at us,” Karns City coach Dave Kerschbaumer admitted.

But Hegedus answered the Shick trey seconds later with a 3-pointer of her own, burying a shot from deep in the right corner.

That started a 14-0 Gremlin run that sealed the win. Hegedus added a pair of layups, one after stealing the ball at midcourt, during the outburst.

“LeeAnn Gibson (now at Slippery Rock University) was our leader on the floor in terms of big plays last year and Emily has assumed that role this season,” Kerschbaumer said. “That was a big shot. It righted things for us.

“The team did a good job of turning it on when it had to.”

Union (0-4) needed to jump-start an offense that sank only six of 22 shots in the first half.

“We started out using Lexey at the point and having her set up our offense,” Union coach Lacey Magagnotti said. “We needed her to score in the second half, so we made the adjustment.”

Shick scored all 16 of her points in the second half, hitting three treys. She had three assists. Frankee Remmick, a junior guard, led the Golden Damsels with 26 points and six rebounds.

Karns City placed four players in double figures. Hegedus had 19 points, 10 rebounds and six assists. Alyssa Gibson contributed 16 points, five steals and four assists.

“Those two have been playing off each other very well,” Kerschbaumer said. “They've been playing together in the backcourt for a while and they know how to work together.

“Haley Scherer is learning how to join that mix, too. She's coming on.”

Mackenzie Craig scored 14 points for the Gremlins before fouling out with 4:05 to play. Scherer had 10 points and four rebounds.

Karns City enjoyed a whopping 32-20 advantage on the boards, but had 24 turnovers.

“We were able to take the ball away a few times and force some mistakes,” Magagnotti said. “But we turned the ball over too many times ourselves.

“We came in here and played hard, played competitively against a very good program. I'm pleased with the effort we showed tonight.”

Union had 19 turnovers in the contest.

Kerschbaumer admitted his team is still in the growing stages.

“It's a learning process almost with each possession,” he said. “We're getting better. We're just not consistent yet. As these girls play more and more games together, hopefully we'll peak toward the end of the year.”

Karns City plays at rival Moniteau Tuesday night.

“We'll find out where we're at that night. I know they're hungry to get us,” Kerschbaumer said.

UNION 51Lexey Shick 3-9 7-8 16, Bryn Davis 1-3 0-2 2, Marli Hawk 1-2 0-1 2, Frankee Remmick 8-14 6-13 26, Hannah Atzent 1-5 0-1 3, Kaylee Singer 0-1 0-0 0, Taylor Adams 1-5 0-0 2. Totals: 15-39 13-25 51.KARNS CITY 63Alyssa Gibson 5-8 6-10 16, Madison Kelly 0-0 0-0 0, Emma Clark 1-3 0-0 2, Rozina McCanna 0-0 0-0 0, Sara Knox 0-0 1-2 1, Emily Hegedus 7-10 3-6 19, Halety Scherer 5-7 0-0 10, Mackenzie Craig 6-7 2-3 14, Livia Andreassi 0-6 1-2 1. Totals: 24-41 13-24 63.Union 9 8 16 18 — 51Karns City22 15 7 19 — 633-point goals: Shick 3, Remmick 4, Atzent; Hegeus 2Tuesday: Karns City at MoniteauWednesday: Union at A-C Valley