OSMOND - Never underestimate the importance of one play.

Up three in a competitive back-and-forth game, Hartington-Newcastle senior Jake Peitz beat the third-quarter buzzer with a half-court shot, extending the Wildcat lead to six and starting a run that allowed them to pull away in a 47-40 win over Osmond Saturday.

Last-second heroics aren't exactly rare in matchups between the Tigers and Wildcats. Last season, Bennet Sievers hit a shot from three-quarter court as time expired to give Hartington-Newcastle a 52-49 win.

This year, the Wildcat offense made enough plays in the fourth quarter that no late-game miracle shots were necessary. 

Hartington-Newcastle improved to 2-0 with the win, while Osmond fell to 1-1.

GAME SUMMARY

HARTINGTON-NEWCASTLE (2-0) - 12  6 16 13 - 47

OSMOND (1-1)                                 - 15  4  9 12 - 40

TEAM STATS:

HARTINGTON-NEWCASTLE

 - FG: 18/37 (48.6%)

 - 3P: 7/14 (50%)

 - FT: 4/6 (66.7%)

OSMOND

 - FG: 17/40 (42.5%)

 - 3P: 6/21 (28.6%)

 - FT: 0 attempts

INDIVIDUAL STATS

 HARTINGTON-NEWCASTLE

 - Jake Peitz: 24 pts, 5 rebs

 - Seth Pinkelman: 10 pts, 3 rebs

 - Bennet Sievers: 9 pts, 3 rebs

 - Turner Dendinger: 2 pts, 2 rebs

 - Dayton Sudbeck: 2 pts, 1 reb

OSMOND

 - Ryan Schmit: 14 pts, 5 rebs

 - Zach Reikofski: 11 pts, 4 rebs

 - Steven Hasler: 8 pts, 4 rebs

 - Bryan Solorzano: 5 pts, 1 reb

 - Xander Brown: 2 pts, 5 rebs