RIMERSBURG — Union's ability to hit free throws was starting to slip in the fourth quarter — as was its chances in Wednesday's District 9 Class A boys basketball playoff game against Kane.

Connecting on 3-of-9 free throws in the fourth quarter, the Golden Knights bounced back, however, sinking 11 of 14 in overtime to post a 69-59 victory.

Union (16-9) scored the final 10 points of the game over the final 1:22, including five by Kyle Hilliard.

"I just think it was our mind-set here at Union," said coach Karen Davis on the disparity of the free throws. "It's been here a long time. We haven't been able to win those close games."

The Knights responded despite seeing a 10-point third-quarter lead evaporate. Union used a 9-2 run, including a pair of scores from Gary Cooper, to open a 46-36 lead.

The Wolves (13-10) slowly chipped away over the next 6:30, using three-pointers by Mike Punk and Zach Anderson, the latter tying the game at 52 with 3:21 left in regulation.

'They were running the ball well in our 2-1-2 zone," said Davis. "We weren't talking. We weren't communicating."

Along the way, Hilliard missed a pair of free throws and Billy Burns missed the front end of a 1-and-1 as the Wolves went from 50-44 to 50-49.

With the score tied at 52, Nate Boltz missed two free throws with 2:42 left, but Kane's Paul Eastman, who led all scorers with 24 points, missed two free throws 22 seconds later.

Cooper, who led the Knights with 20 points, put back an easy layup off an off-balance 3-point attempt with 24 seconds left, but Kane scored the equalizer with nine seconds left when Anderson hit a layup of his own to force overtime.

In overtime, Boltz sank two free throws, but John Bizzak answered with a basket to tie the game. Kane's Brad Avenali then missed the front end of a 1-and-1.

Union got a free throw from Toby Painter and a basket from Burns to take a 59-56 lead with 2:18 left. Painter was sent to line when Eastman, a 6-foot-5 forward, picked up his fifth foul of the game.

Punk, however, nailed his fifth trey of the night with 1:54 remaining to tie the game.

From there, the Knights did their damage at the free throw line, one from Hilliard, followed by two apiece from Cooper and Hilliard to open a 64-59 lead 43 seconds left to start to pull away.

"Our youth showed a little bit," said Kane coach Jeff Labesky. "At one point we had five 10th graders on the floor.

"We missed a couple of bunnies down low and missed a couple for free throws down the stretch," he added.

Union trailed 6-0 to open the game and held on for a 29-28 lead at halftime.

""We had a long layoff," said Davis. "We haven't played a game in almost two weeks (Feb. 11). We had a whole week off and (Kane) was still playing. We scrimmaged, but that's not the same as a game."

The win sends Union to the quarterfinals at Elk County Catholic (24-0), the No. 2 team in the state, for a 7 p.m. game Friday.

"We know they're tough," said Davis. "If we have the turnovers like we did against Kane, we'll get killed."

Notes:

Hilliard had 17 points to make him Union's all-time leading scorer, passing George Shafer, who hit the mark in 1963. Painter added 13 points and Burns had 12. The Wolves also received 15 from Punk and 11 from Bizzak … The playoff appearance was Kane's first since the 2000-01 season.

KANE 59

Dan Magnuson 0 0-0 0, Robert Mosier 0 0-0 0, Zach Anderson 3 2-2 9, Paul Eastman 10 4-8 24, John Bizzak 5 1-2 11, Mike Punk 5 0-0 15, Brad Avenali 0 0-1 0, Tyler Labesky 0 0-0 0, Cory Waigand 0 0-0 0. Totals: 23 7-13 59.

UNION 69

Nate Boltz 1 2-4 4, Gary Cooper 9 2-2 20, Toby Painter 4 3-5 13, Billy Burns 4 3-5 12, Kyle Hilliard 5 7-12 17, Neil Scott 1 0-0 3, Colton Davis 0 0-0 0. Totals: 24 17-28 69.

3-point goals:

Punk 5, Anderson; Painter 2, Burns, Scott

Friday:

District 9 Class AA Quarterfinals-Union at Elk County Catholic, 7 p.m.