JACKSON TWP — A basket from Allison Sevin gave Seneca Valley a 36-34 lead with five minutes, 35 seconds left in Monday’s non-section girls basketball game.

That’s when the well began to dry up for the Raiders.

Over the next 5:20 of play, SV managed just a single point — Emerson Peffer’s free throw with 3:17 left — and the visiting Mustangs came away with a 48-43 victory.

“We had no defense late in the game, didn’t have girls in position out front,” said SV coach Dorothea Epps. “Offensively, we had several attempts close in right at the basket and couldn’t score. Those were empty possessions.”

Plum junior guard Megan Marston was a thorn in the Raiders’ side all game, but especially so in the final period when she netted 12 of her game-high 31 points.

She drained one trey to put the Mustangs up for good, 37-36 with 5:18 left. On her team’s next possession, she hit another for a four-point lead.

With under a minute left and Plum protecting a five-point edge, Marston sank four free throws in a span of 15 seconds.

“Megan loves the game and it’s almost like having a coach on the floor,” said Plum coach Rich Mull. “She was good last year, so we had an idea of what she could give us this season.”

Peffer drained a pair of shots, but they came with under 20 seconds left.

Plum opened the game with a 9-2 run, but Brionna Brown’s 3-pointer with 3:15 left in the first quarter began SV’s 9-2 run of its own and the game was knotted at 11.

The Raiders remained steady on the offensive end in the second quarter. Natalie Hambly hit a 3-pointer at the first-half buzzer to lift the Raiders to a 24-20 advantage.

But any momentum the Raiders (1-2) had seemed to wilt in the fourth quarter.

“We’re a young team and still searching for points after graduating two big girls for us (Jess Bickart and Olivia West),” Epps said. “It’s just a matter of the girls realizing they can score.”

Brown, a junior guard, paced SV with 15 points, many of them from driving the lane or the baseline.

“She’s played well for us,” said Epps. “She’s just starting to understand the game and is getting more looks.”

The Mustangs missed the playoffs last year with a 6-14 record, but are 3-0 to start the season.

“We were without two starters tonight because of the flu, played a freshman and a sophomore,” said Mull. “To play as well as we did and come out on top, I give the kids credit for battling.”

PLUM 48

Serena Carnahan 2 0-2 4, Riley Stephans 4 0-0 9, Megan Marston 8 11-12 31, Pascale Olczak 2 0-0 4, Rayla Smith 0 0-4 0. Totals: 16 11-18 48.

SENECA VALLEY 43

Brionna Brown 6 2-2 15, Allison Sevin 4 1-1 9, Natalie Hambly 2 2-2 8, Gracie Cato 2 0-0 4, Emerson Peffer 3 1-2 7, Anna Felitsky 0 0-0 0, Lauren Folino 0 0-0 0. Totals: 17 6-7 43.

Plum 11 9 12 16 — 48

Seneca Valley 11 13 8 11 — 43

3-point goals: Plum 5 (Marston 4, Stephans); Seneca Valley 3 (Hambly 2, Brown).

Friday: Seneca Valley at Fox Chapel