RIMERSBURG — TiffanyCorle's smile showed how satisfying it was.

Teammate Janele Divins' smile showed how physical it was.

And the scoreboard and stat sheet showed just how close it was.

Corle hit a running jumper with four seconds remaining in the game to send the Union girls basketball team to a dramatic 44-42 home win over Karns City Tuesday night.

"I was excited I made it," said Corle, who let out a triumphant yelp and fist pump after the shot banked in. "Then I was like, 'Oh my gosh. There's four seconds left. I have to get back.'"

Karns City didn't get a shot off and Union fans spilled onto the court as the final buzzer sounded.

The victory meant a lot to Union, which avenged a 44-41 loss to Karns City on Dec. 7.

It was also Union's 36th straight win at home and it kept the Damsels (16-3, 13-1) in first place in the Keystone Shortway Athletic Conference-East standings.

"It was a heavyweight match," said Union coach Josh Meeker. "Alot of the girls felt they did not play their best game (against Karns City) the last time around. They knew it."

The game was physical from the start and resembled a rugby scrum more than a basketball game for much of the first half as Karns City (14-4, 11-2) led 16-15 at the break.

But in the second half, Union's press started to force Karns City into errors and the Damsels were able to capitalize on them.

But not before Union point guard Janele Divins lost part of her front tooth, which was chipped and pushed back after a collision under the basket.

She was the second Union player to need dental work in the last week.

For Karns City, it was all about making life tough on Corle.

The Gremlins' top defender, Tausha Bowser, harassed Union's leading scorer all night. When Corle was able to shake free of Bowser, there were as many as two other Karns City defenders waiting to pounce.

Corle had only five points at the half and spent the moments leading up to the start of the third period with her head buried under a yellow towel.

Corle finished with 15 points and 11 rebounds, but none of it came easily.

"It really got on my nerves," Corle said. "But that's what they were trying to do."

Corle almost was the goat.

She missed four consecutive free throws down the stretch, which opened the door for Karns City to pull even with 16 seconds remaining on two free throws by Haley Callihan.

But with the game on the line, the ball was placed firmly in Corle's hands.

"No matter what, Tiff has confidence in herself," Meeker said. "She could miss 10 shots in a row and she'll still say, 'Coach, I want the ball. I'll make the next one.'"

Neither team was ahead by more than six points, and the lead changed hands 10 times.

Both teams hit 16 shots from the floor, 10 from the free throw line and each team committed 22 turnovers.

The differences were subtle.

Union hit two 3-pointers. Karns City was 0-for-10 from beyond the arc, and the Gremlins misfired on the front end of three one-and-one free throw attempts in the fourth quarter.

"We don't live or die by the 3," said Karns City coach Dave Kerschbaumer.

"We shoot one-and-ones in practice all the time. If they miss, they run."

The crowd was held down by the poor weather, but it was still an electric atmosphere.

Union is now 49-2 at home in the last five seasons. It's last home loss came by a point to Redbank Valley in January 2004.

"We want to keep it going," Meeker said of the home success. "This is our house and we play better in our house. These girls were freshmen the last time we lost here."

The home-court advantage and rabid Damsel fans made what Karns City sophomore Ashley Campbell accomplished all the more impressive.

Campbell scored 17 points to lead the Gremlins and, at times, was unstoppable in the paint.

"Her footwork is really improving," Kerschbaumer said. "With Courtnay Rattigan working with her on a daily basis, you can tell the difference. For a sophomore to come into this atmosphere and do what she did was amazing."

KARNS CITY 42Tausha Bowser 2-5 0-0 4, Michelle Sweeney 1-5 2-5 4, Allyson Kepple 2-13 0-0 4, Julia Zaludek 1-1 0-0 2, Ashley Campbell 8-13 1-3 17, Haley Callihan 1-7 4-4 6, Kylee Rankin 1-1 1-4 3, Kailyn Weibel 0-2 2-2 2.

Totals: 16-47 10-18 42

UNION 44Alicia Anthony 0-2 0-0 0, Heather Booth 0 0-0 0, Meagan Booth 0-3 0-0 0, Tiffany Corle 6-15 3-9 15, Janele Divins 3-8 0-0 7, Denyelle Painter 2-6 2-2 6, Corri Seybert 1-3 0-0 2, Mackenzie Shirey 3-10 5-8 12, Torri Smith 1-5 0-0 2.

Totals: 16-53 10-19 44

Karns City 4 12 13 13—42Union 10 5 18 11—443-point goals: Union 2 (Divins, Shirey)

JV: KarnsCity 39-31

Thursday: Moniteau at Karns City; Clarion at Union

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