TORONTO — The 3-point shot is a real weapon for teams to use out on the court.

The Toronto and Madonna girls basketball teams utilized to their advantage Monday night as the Blue Dons use it to take the lead, while the Red Knights used it to win the game.

Madonna drained 11 shots from beyond the arc, including three in the fourth quarter enabling the Dons to build a 5-point advantage, however, Toronto tallied two from long range late in the fourth, including the game-winner from Jayna Reeves with under 10 seconds left enabling the girls in white to rally for a 52-51 victory in a varsity-only game inside the George J. Kunzler Memorial Gymnasium.

The visitors hit 1-of-2 shots from the free-throw line with 18.9 seconds left to go up 51-49. The hosts pushed the ball up the court, and Josey Dickinson kicked the ball out to Reeves, who drained a 3 from the corner to give the girls from the Gem City a 52-51 advantage.

Madonna called a timeout with 5.4 seconds still showing on the scoreboard clock to set up a final play, however, the girls from Hancock County committed a turnover with 1 second left, and the home team was able to inbound the ball and run out the clock.

“It was kind of both,” Toronto (2-3) head coach Rusty Hodgkiss said asked if the 3-pointer came on a scramble play or a set play. “We were out of timeouts, and they were shooting free throws. I told Josey that 15 seconds was a long time. I told her to try and get to the rim, if they stop you, kick out to Jayna in the corner, and bless her soul she did it.

“We were talking in the locker room, and I told them with the numbers we have, we can’t work on late-game situations 5-on-5. We kind of made it up as we went, and the kids did what they were told.

“You can’t forget the fingertip control Olivia Owings had when she kicked it to Haley Bodnar for that 3 to cut it down to a one-point game. All seven of the kids did something to help us win this game.”

The Red Knights made one more play than Madonna did and that was the difference in the ballgame.

“We couldn’t finish,” first-year Madonna (2-1) head coach Nick Higgins said. “It is a learning experience. Rylee (Birkhimer) is a senior, but we some young guards. It is a learning experience. It’s early. It is a learning experience. Give Toronto credit. They made one more play than we did. Both teams shot the ball well. They just made the last one.”

The Blue Dons led 36-34 entering the fourth quarter. The Red Knights tallied a field goal 20 seconds into the fourth to knot the score, however, 3-pointers by Madonna’s Tina Littleton and Sophia Quattrochi helped the Blue Dons to build a 44-39 advantage.

Toronto countered with the next six points to take a 45-44 lead before Geena Birkhimer hit two from the charity stripe to regain the lead for the Blue Dons at 46-45. Owings hit 1-of-2 from the line for Toronto to tie the score before Littleton hit another 3-pointer to put Madonna back in front, and Quattrochi converted 1-of-2 from the foul line to give the Blue Dons a 50-46 lead with 34.6 seconds remaining to be played.

Bodnar then drained a 3-pointer to pull the hosts within one with 18.9 seconds still to play.

“That one went the opposite of what we wanted,” Hodgkiss said. “We wanted to set a ball screen, but we were not able to set the screen. We kicked the ball into the corner, and Olivia was able to make the catch and get the ball out to Haley Bodnar, and Haley hit the 3. That was not scripted at all.”

Bodnar’s 3 began the final game-winning sequence for the Red Knights.

“They took the open shot,” Higgins said. “It was a scramble play. They hit the last one.”

Reeves recorded a team-high 17 points to lead the way offensively for Toronto, while Dickinson delivered 15 and Bodnar added 10.

Rylee Birkhimer tallied a team-high 17 points to lead the way for Madonna, while Quattrochi collected 11.

“Their coach was calling out plays I remember we ran when I was over there,” Hodgkiss said. “They didn’t run them as well as we did. Madonna played hard. They played really well. They shot the ball really well. I don’t know how many points (Rylee) Birkhimer had, but it felt like 50.”

The victors had a big first quarter as they were able to jump out to an 18-13 lead. The Blue Dons battled back in the second as they outscored the home team, 13-3, to take a 26-21 lead into the locker room at halftime.

“Down at River, we scored one point in the first quarter, and then we played a fantastic second half,” Hodgkiss said. “We always seem to have a lull in one quarter. It was not because we weren’t playing hard, we just couldn’t score.”

Toronto fought back in the third as it tied the score at 28 before 3-pointers by Quattrochi and Rylee Birkhimer gave Madonna 34-28 lead. The Red Knights came back and tied the score before the Blue Dons made the final basket of the quarter to take a 2-point lead into the fourth.

Madonna made 11 3-pointers on the night, while Toronto hit five.

“Toronto played the way we thought they would,” Higgins said. “We just have to do the little things like boxing out and doing jump stops. It was a close game. We will learn from this.”

Hodgkiss is having to find ways to give his players breaks during the game as the Red Knights only have seven players on the roster this season.

“We did not sub in the second half,” Hodgkiss said. “I did have to spend one timeout to give them a break. They are holding up so far. We’ll see how it goes. We play Wednesday and Thursday. We’ll see how they are in the second game of a back-to-back. It is a hard thing to gauge. We are trying to keep their legs. I messed up last year, so we are trying something different this year.”

Both teams are scheduled to play Wednesday. Toronto is slated to play River at home, while the Blue Dons will make another trip to Jefferson County as Madonna is set to take on Catholic Central inside the Mickey Barber Gymnasium.

Toronto 52, Madonna 51

Madonna 13 13 10 15 – 51

Toronto 18 3 13 18 – 52

MADONNA (2-1): Brady 1 0-0 3, G. Birkhimer 2 2-2 6, B. Birkhimer 0 0-0 0, Littleton 3 0-0 6, Quattrochi 3 2-7 11, R. Birkhimer 7 0-0 17, T. Birkhimer 1 0-2 2, Ryan 1 0-0 2, Cody 2 0-2 4. TOTALS: 19 4-13 51.

TORONTO (2-3): Sapp 1 4-8 6, Piatt 0 0-0 0, Reeves 6 2-7 17, Bodnar 4 0-0 10, Ruberto 0 0-0 0, Owings 1 2-4 4, Dickinson 7 1-2 15. TOTALS: 19 9-21 52.

3-POINTERS: Madonna 11 (R. Birkhimer 5, Quattrochi 3, Littleton 2, Brady); Toronto 5 (Reeves 3, Bodnar 2)