BERNE, NY (NEWS10) — Myles Irvis knocked down the go-ahead triple for Bethlehem with 32 seconds left to give the Eagles the lead for good in a 69-66 win over Berne-Knox-Westerlo in the opening round of the Bulldog Invitational.
The two sides traded scores early in a first quarter that was kicked off by a slam dunk from BKW’s George Wright. The Eagles found a rhythm from beyond the arc in response, taking a 19-15 lead after the opening frame. After a tightly contested second quarter, the Eagles carried a 36-30 advantage to the break.
Bethlehem continued the pressure from beyond the arc, quickly extending their lead to double digits. The defending Class C state champs were not going away easily; the Bulldogs closed the frame strong to cut the deficit down to just two points going to the fourth.
The packed house at Berne-Knox-Westerlo High School was treated to a thrilling fourth quarter, the Bulldogs tied the contest in the opening seconds of the frame, sparking a back-and-forth finish to the contest.
The game entered the final two minutes even at 64, Shane Kirker scored on a two-handed slam to put the Bulldogs in front 66-64. Bethlehem’s Kieran Barnes had an answer, driving the lane to even the contest at 66 all with just over one minute remaining. Barnes finished the contest with a game-high 26 points.
After making a stop on defense, Bethlehem had the chance to move in front with just over 30 seconds to play. A chance the Eagles took advantage of when Barnes connected with Irvis for the go-ahead score.
Trailing 69-66, the Bulldogs needed a response in the final seconds, however the Eagles defense forced Blake Terrell into an off-balance 3-pointer from well beyond the arc that just missed the mark.
With the win, Bethlehem advances to the tournament championship game on Saturday against Amsterdam, the contest will be played at BKW.