JACKSON TWP — It may be too early in the high school basketball season to call any game a must win, but both Shaler and Seneca Valley were trying desperately to avoid taking a winless section record into the holiday break.

The Titans, who entered the game winless, found the winning formula in a 64-62 boys victory Tuesday night at William Paul Gymnasium.

Shaler senior guard Austin Bauer made 1-of-2 free throws with 4.7 seconds remaining to give his team a two-point lead. SV had a chance to take the game with a buzzer-beater, but Jack Cook’s 3-point attempt from the left wing bounced off the rim as time expired.

“The guys have been working hard and we wanted to get that first win,” said Shaler coach Rob Niederberger. “It shows the team that everything we’ve been working on is coming.”

With 10 seconds left, the Raiders were down by one point when Jamir Carter drove toward the basket, but his shot missed and was rebounded by Shaler. SV fouled, setting up Bauer at the free-throw line at the other end of the floor.

“We had two chances at the end there,” said Raiders’ coach Victor Giannotta. “Jamir’s runner and then Jack had a good look for the 3-pointer. But the difference was Shaler out-played and out-hustled us in the first half. We need to make our free throws (SV was 14-of-24, including 3-of-9 in the first half).”

The Titans (1-7, 1-3) received big games offensively from two players. Tanner Reinheimer led all scorers with 22 points, 12 of them coming in the final period. Nick Fugh came off the bench and dropped 21 points.

“Tanner is very confident,” said Niederberger. “He believes he can score every time he has the ball. He just needs to play within our offense, but he is a competitor and that’s what you want.

“Nick may be our best player, but he’s a football guy and got a bit of a late start,” he added. “He brings a lot of energy to the floor and gets the guys going.”

The Raiders (3-4, 0-3) dug themselves an early hole, falling behind 9-0 in the first four minutes of the game. They pulled to within 11-7 by the end of the first quarter despite five turnovers and a 3-of-11 effort from the field.

“We’ve played a lot of close games, but usually start out slow and have had to play from behind,” said Niederberger. “Tonight, we started the first and third quarter with nice runs.”

SV trailed 32-21 with 5:20 left in the third, but embarked on a 9-0 run of their own. The Raiders earned their first lead of the game at 54-53 when Chris Hart completed a conventional 3-point play with 3:08 left in the fourth quarter.

Hart and Carter both scored 14 points to lead Seneca Valley.

“We’re young,” said Giannotta. “These games are building blocks and valuable experiences toward what we hope are better outcomes in the new year.”

SHALER 64

Nathan Grande 1 1-1 3, Emilio Posa 3 2-2 8, Austin Bauer 1 3-4 5, Nick Fugh 7 6-6 21, Anthony Venezia 2 0-0 5, Tanner Reinheimer 7 5-8 22, Zach Romac 0 0-0 0, Jack Quinn 0 0-0 0. Totals: 21 17-21 64.

SENECA VALLEY 62

Jamir Carter 6 2-2 14, Nate Trzeciak 3 2-2 8, Payton Skalos 2 0-0 6, Patrick Uher 1 0-1 3, Jack Cook 1 2-6 4, Justin Koken 1 2-2 5, Chris Hart 4 6-11 14, Marcus Might 3 0-0 6, Mark Smathers 1 0-0 2, Jake Holl 0 0-0 0, Andrew Smathers 0 0-0 0. Totals: 22 14-24 62.

Shaler 11 14 16 23 — 64

Seneca Valley7 14 17 24 — 62

3-point goals: Shaler 5 (Reinheimer 3, Venezia, Fugh); Seneca Valley 4 (Skalos 2, Uher, Koken).

Monday: Seneca Valley at New Castle Tournament