NATRONA HEIGHTS — It was going to take a team loaded with talent to break Knoch's momentum.

Highlands certainly qualifies.

The Golden Rams grabbed the lead late in the third quarter and survived several clutch baskets down the stretch from Knoch to prevail 72-65 in a battle of Section 1-4A heavyweights in a packed gym at Highlands High School Tuesday night.

The victory avenges the Rams' 74-69 defeat at the hands of the Knights earlier this month. Both teams are now 7-1 in section play with two games remaining.

Knoch entered the contest riding a 16-game winning streak.

“This is definitely a big win for us,” said Highlands' coach Tyler Stoczynski. “We're excited that we were able to compete the way we did against a great Knoch team.”

The Rams (17-2 overall) gained the lead for the final time with Antoine McDaniel's drive and bucket that put his team up 51-49 seconds before the end of the third quarter.

There were times during the final period when the Rams seemed on the verge of pulling away, but Knoch remained within striking distance.

Brady McKee drained a trey that cut Knoch's deficit to 57-52 with six minutes left.

Adam Bajuszik and Scott Fraser both added 3-pointers that made it 68-62 and 70-65, respectively, the latter coming with 30 seconds left.

The Knights turned the ball over just 13 times in the game, but the final one was a steal by Jimmy Kunst that he turned into a layup for the final margin of victory with five seconds left.

“We were in it until the very end,” said Knoch coach Ron McNabb. “We just didn't bring our “A” game tonight. We missed a lot of layups, shots we normally don't miss.”

Johnny Crise, Highlands' 6-foot-6 senior forward who is set to be a preferred walk-on at Penn State, scored a game-high 24 points and 14 in the decisive second half.

Knoch (16-2) found itself down 8-0 less than three minutes into the game.

“There was no sign of nervousness with our guys,” McNabb said of the opening moments of the game. “We were ready to go, but our shots weren't falling. I thought we would heat up and we did.”

The Knights erased a 17-9 deficit after one quarter by scoring 27 in the second.

Five players combined to hit six of seven attempts from beyond the arc, sparking the Knights to a 36-31 edge by halftime.

Knoch's point guard, Jake Scheidt, and Fraser both entered the second half with three personal fouls. Both were on the court at the start of the second half, but the Rams missed just one of their 10 attempts from the floor to earn the slim two-point lead with eight minutes to play.

“The fouls were difficult to overcome. Highlands has some really good players and they beat you up,” said McNabb.

Jared Schrecengost paced the Knights with 19 points. Fraser added 12 and Ryan Lang 11.

Bajuszik came off the bench to sink three treys.

Korry Myers combined with Crise to give the Rams a formidable scoring duo. He tallied 23, including four 3-pointers.

“I told Korry, 'This is what you've been working so hard for,'” said Stoczynski. “Think about all the time you've worked on your shot, your form. This is the fruit of your labor.”

If Knoch wins its final two section games against Derry and Freeport, the Knights will do no worse than tie Highlands for the section crown for the second straight year.

“It was the same exact thing last year,” said McNabb. “We lost to Highlands, then won our last two games.

“Our guys are hurting right now and I'm glad because it shows they are passionate. I told them they have until 3 p.m. tomorrow to get over it.”

KNOCH 65

Scott Fraser 5 0-0 12, Jared Schrecengost 7 3-6 19, Jake Schiedt 2 0-0 5, Ryan Lang 4 0-1 11, Brady McKee 3 2-4 9, Adam Bajuszik 3 0-0 9, Zach McMillen 0 0-0 0. Totals: 24 5-11 65.

HIGHLANDS 72

Jimmy Kunst 5 2-3 13, Antoiine McDaniel 2 0-0 4, Korry Myers 9 1-4 23, Johnny Crise 11 2-4 24, Luke Cochran 4 0-0 8, Chandler Thimons 0 0-0 0, Carter Leri 0 0-0 0, Wahkeem Roman 0 0-0 0. Totals: 31 5-11 72.

Knoch 9 27 13 16 — 65

Highlands17 14 20 21 — 72

3-point goals: Lang 3, Bajjuszik 3, Fraser 2, Schrecengost 2, Scheidt, McKee; Myers 4, Kunst

Friday: Knoch at Derry