A few clutch plays near the end of the game and a tight-knit defense sent the Thomas Jefferson Raiders away winners in a competitive girls basketball victory that was really more the answering of a battle cry than anything else. TJ prevailed against Auburn, 43-41, in the tough South Puget Sound League North Thursday.

This game came down to the very end, with it anyone’s game until then. The Raiders wanted it more, wresting the lead from a 39-39 score with a couple minutes left to win it.

“I can always count on them to keep battling,” said TJ head coach Jerry Krueger, who is in his sixth year.

This game was back-and-forth. Auburn took a 10-5 lead three minutes into the game before TJ battled back to take a 18-12 lead three minutes before halftime at the end of the second quarter.

Halftime was 22-18, TJ, but through some suddenly enforced full court pressure defense by Auburn, that lead waned, completely, as Auburn led, 33-31, going into the fourth quarter.

The Raiders committed six turnovers in the third quarter to Auburn’s three. Auburn scored twice off those turnovers late for the momentum going into the final frame.

“We didn’t handle the pressure that well, but it says a lot for our team that we battled back,” said Kiyohara.

The battling back part Kiyohara speaks of is still coming in the story. Because, at this point, it’s 36-34 Auburn with 6:05 left in the final quarter. Then it’s 37-36, Auburn, with 5:00 on the scoreboard. But then there was a tightening of the belt in the “we want it more” area as TJ got three chances to score after Unique Taufa’Asau shot 1-for-2 from the free throw line that had made it 37-37. Kiyohara missed a three, Stacy Albrecht missed a lay up, but Taufa’Asau grittily got the rebound, keeping the play alive. Note, too, that Albrecht fought and got the rebound before she missed her chance near the bucket. So, Taufa’Asau went to the line and calmly, with 2:30 left, and sank two free throws for a 39-37 TJ lead.

“She struggled (during the game), but she was clutch late in the game,” said Kiyohara. “Everyone was (clutch). Everyone stepped it up.”

After Taufa’Asau sank those free throws, the clock ticked down to the 1:00 mark before the Raiders got another shot off. It did not go in, as the two defenses were at work creating turnovers on each end of the floor in that time a couple times each in frenzied play, as Kiyohara got a steal in this time, too. Then Auburn scored to make it 39-39 with 50 seconds to play.

Timeout, TJ. Krueger called a great time-out, obviously, because the Raiders’ Taufa’Asau, from the inbounds on the far end, threw the ball to Kiyohara, running across the half-court line, catching it. Then, dribbling in stride, Kiyohara went right to the rim for a big layup to make it 41-39 with 35 seconds left.

“Kiyohara caught a great pass and Taufa’Asau was huge with those free throws. She is capable of that all the time,” said Krueger.

A couple turnovers ensued, one on each side, before Auburn got the ball back with 25 seconds left, still trailing by two, 41-39. On the inbounds of the ball, the throw-in person could not get the ball in to any of the Auburn girls frantically trying to loose their man. Turnover, on a five-second call for not getting the ball inbounded. Instead the player threw the ball away on a bounce pass that missed the Auburn player. She was not able to get it into play thanks to notable strong ‘D’ from TJ senior guard Karen Carpenter’s smothering hands high in the face area.

“Defense was really good in the last minute,” said Krueger. “Our energy was good.”

Just that defense of Auburn really turned the screws on the Raiders in the third and fourth quarters. Once it’s coach, Ed Bender, employed it.

“We don’t do that in practice, give up the ball in pressure defense,” said Krueger. “There are things we have to do (in games) to improve if we want to get better.”

Get to state?

“Yes, we have got a lot of improvement to do to be able to beat teams going to state,” said Krueger.

But the girls played well to battle back from momentum turning Auburn’s way to end the third quarter. They got a free throw line basket from Albrecht, making it 42-39 with 20 seconds left. Then Auburn scored with six seconds left to cut it to 42-41.

Auburn called a timeout to try and mark up the TJ players so well that inbounds thrower Taufa’Asau could not get the ball in. And, the near unfortunate thing happened of the five-second call by the referee for not throwing the ball in by that allotted time. But when the referee was looking to pucker up, and Bender for Auburn was ready to clap his hands with a chance to throw in the ball from under their own basket with still six seconds. But something had happened...

Krueger instinctively called a timeout for his team. After that good call, Taufa’Asau found Albrecht on the inbounds pass, amd Albrecht was immediately fouled.

Albrecht walked the length of the floor, and, as the band was saying “shhh, shhh” to let Albrecht concentrate, she missed the free throw but made the second to make it 43-41. Kiyohara stole the inbounds pass with a couple seconds left and was able to run out the clock dribbling the ball.

Kiyohara’s shooting game was not great in this one, but the junior leader and captain just kept up her constant hustle in this game, like her teammates that followed suit. Shooting 2-for-8 for 2’s and 0-for-5 for 3’s and 3-for-4 from the line, Kiyohara made her other qualities shine, including a reverse layup to end the first quarter.

“I didn’t have my best game shooting,” said Kiyohara. “So I tried to drive to the hoop. I just didn’t have my stroke. Coach said take it to the rim since I was struggling with the shot. We got the win.”

Taufa’Asau shot 12-for-17 from the free throw line. She had 14 points, too, to lead all scorers. Stacy Albrecht had 10 and Kiyohara nine and Samantha Phan five, Ariel Holman three and Keely Nelson-Rivers two.