JEFFERSON TWP — Members of the Knoch boys basketball team believed they had what it takes to beat Highlands the first time around.

This time, they proved it.

The Knights outscored the previously undefeated Rams 26-14 in the final period to pull out a 65-55 win Tuesday at Knoch High School.

Knoch (13-7, 7-2) lost a hard-fought 58-55 decision on the Rams' home floor Jan. 3.

"We knew we could play with them the first time we played them," said Knoch junior forward Rob Briggs, who managed a double-double with 27 points and 16 rebounds Tuesday. "This is a huge confidence-builder."

Highlands (19-1, 9-1) self-destructed in the fourth quarter.

With Knoch ahead 54-48 and Briggs standing on the free throw line with 2:44 remaining, Highlands' Jeff Sinclair was called for a technical foul after making a comment about the officiating.

As the official was giving Rams coach Rick Falter an explanation, Dane Porter was given another technical for the same reason.

After Briggs was through shooting the four foul shots, the Knights' edge had grown to 57-48 — and Knoch still had possession.

"I'm sure it played a factor in the last few minutes of the game," said Knoch coach Chris Andreassi. "We got three extra points out of it and the ball.

"I would like to believe that our kids would've finished it off without those calls, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't think they had an affect on the game."

Falter agreed.

"I'm taking nothing away from Knoch. They played a great game," he said. "But those calls changed the complexion of the game."

The final 2:44 saw Knoch's lead balloon to as much as 62-48.

Briggs scored 12 of his team's 26 points in the fourth quarter, but it was his performance earlier in the game that may have been even more important.

The Rams bolted to a 20-9 first quarter lead, with Briggs scoring only two points on free throws.

But the second quarter opened with Highlands missing its first five attempts from the field and Briggs capitalized by scoring seven straight points to pull his team to within 20-16.

He walked to the locker room at halftime after scoring nine total points in the second period, and the Knights' deficit was just 31-28.

"We were just trying to find a spark," said Briggs. "And we found it."

"On the chalkboard in the locker room, we wrote, 'Weather the storm,'" Andreassi said. "We knew Highlands was going to make a run. There's really no magic to it. It just came down to our kids playing with poise and confidence."

For the Rams, an undefeated regular season is now out of the question.

"The kids have been very loose," said Falter. "But I was concerned (Monday) because we had our worst practice of the season. And we just didn't hit the shots tonight that we normally do."

Kyle Reiser had 11 points for the Knights and Shawn Samek added 10. Damon Porter paced Highlands with 17 points, Dane Porter had 14, Cornell Thomas chipped in with 11 and Reece Mabery had 0

With the win, the Knights kept their hopes for a Section 1-AAA title alive.

HIGHLANDS 55Damon Porter 6 4-6 17, Jeff Sinclair 0 1-2 1, Cory Ballard 1 0-0 2, Cornell Thomas 5 1-1 11, Dane Porter 6 0-1 14, Reece Mabery 5 0-0 10, Jared Witucki 0 0-0 0.

Totals: 23 6-10 55.

KNOCH 65Shawn Samek 3 3-6 10, Mike Gallagher 2 2-3 7, Kyle Reiser 3 4-6 11, Jake McTighe 0 2-2 2, Rob Briggs 8 9-12 27, Alex Whisler 4 0-0 8, Andy Wirtz 0 0-0 0.

Totals: 20 20-29 65.

Highlands 20 11 10 14—55Knoch 9 19 11 26—653-point goals: Highlands 3 (Dane Porter 2, Damon Porter); Knoch 5 (Briggs 2, Samek, Gallagher, Reiser)

JV: Knoch 56-44

Friday: Knoch at Hampton