TORONTO — Former Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim would have been proud of the defensive performance the Buckeye Local girls’ basketball team delivered against Jefferson County rival Toronto.

Buckeye Local saw their 18-point lead in the third quarter whittled down to six in the fourth, however, in crunch time, the Panthers were able to stymie the Red Knights with their 2-3 zone as the girls from the Gem City went nine-straight offensive possessions without a point enabling Buckeye Local to hold on for a 40-36 win in a varsity-only game Thursday night inside the George J. Kunzler Memorial Gymnasium.

“We calmed down,” Buckeye Local (2-14) head coach Bailey McBeth said what made the difference for his team down the stretch. “We were able to take care of the basketball. We took better care of the basketball than what we were doing. We wanted to shoot layups. We didn’t want to shoot jumpers. We wanted to take the easy shots. Defensively, we stepped up our intensity. We didn’t want to give 24 and 10 easy shots.”

The visitors led 29-11 in the third, however, the hosts refused to go away quietly into the cold night as the girls in white stormed back and pulled to within 34-28 with 5:34 remaining to be played.

“Our mentality changed,” Toronto (5-11) head coach Rusty Hodgkiss said about what led to his team’s 17-5 run enabling them to get back into the game. “The joy we played with last night against Bridgeport was completely absent in the first half tonight. We talked about that at halftime.

“Give Buckeye Local a lot of credit. Buckeye Local was very physical. They were very aggressive in the first half. They got under our skin. We played a lot better in the second half.”

At that point, the Red-and-White had the momentum, but nine empty trips followed and the visitors built a 12-point lead on a putback on a missed foul shot before holding on and winning by four.

“Tonight was an all-around team effort,” McBeth said. “We had some girls score two points, but that is big in a four-point game. It was a good-team win.”

After pulling to within six, the home team did not score again until there was 56.6 remaining in the game.

“We just missed shots,” Hogdkiss said. “We got a lot of the shots we wanted, but we just didn’t make them. Last night, we made them. Tonight, we didn’t.”

Sammi Westfall tallied a game-high 17 points to lead the way offensively for Buckeye Local, while Brooke Driscoll collected nine.

“We did a really good job of playing through our post in senior Sammi Westfall,” McBeth said about what enabled his team to build the 18-point lead in the third. “She scored 15 points in the first half. She finished with 17. She set the tone. She was able to get other girls the ball for some easy shots. They did a good job of getting open.

“Defensively, we played with a lot of intensity. That is the most intensity we have played with all season. We talking about getting a hand up and getting out on their outside shooters. They can make some shots if you leave them open, but we didn’t want to let that happen.”

Josey Dickinson delivered a team-high 14 points to lead the way for Toronto, while Jaya Reeves recorded 13.

The victors netted the first five points of the night before the home team got on the scoreboard with a basket with 3:28 left in the first. The Panthers countered with the next five to build a 10-2 advantage, however, Dickinson hit three foul shots after she was fouled at the buzzer on a 3-point attempt to cut Toronto’s deficit down to 10-5.

The Red Knights scored the first basket of the second to make the score, 10-7, but Buckeye Local scored 15 of the final 18 points of the half, including the last nine, to increase their advantage to 25-10 going into the locker room at halftime.

“They took us out of our favorite offense,” Hodgkiss said. “I don’t think we scored on that. They were the first team to take us out of that. A lot of times we were rushing shots. With the score of the first game, I don’t know if mentally the girls thought they would hit a shot worth 25 points, so we could take the lead. I don’t know. We had the wrong people taking shots. We hurried shots. Buckeye Local did a nice job of contesting everything.”

A basket early in the third extended the Panthers’ advantage out to 18 points.

“You miss 100 percent of the shots you don’t take,” Hodgkiss said about his team’s offensive woes in the game.

Toronto responded and pulled to within 31-22 on a foul shot in the waning seconds of the quarter only to give up a three-point play with one second left on the clock as Buckeye Local took a 34-22 advantage into the fourth.

The Red Knights opened the fourth by scoring the first six points of the quarter, but the Panthers were able to shut them down at that point before holding on for their second win of the campaign.

“Up at Syracuse, with his defense, Coach Boeheim would talk about talking, letting your teammate know there is a cutter, getting a hand up and finishing a possession with a rebound,” McBeth said. “Those are the three big things he stressed – communication, getting your hands up and finishing a possession with a rebound.”

Playing on back-to-back nights is tough for any team, however, it is especially difficult on a team playing with a limited roster. Toronto defeated Bridgeport, 50-39, Wednesday night at home to sweep the season series from the Bulldogs, however, the Red Knights were not playing on a full tank against the Panthers.

“All week I was very worried about if that would affect us tonight,” Hodgkiss said. “I don’t think we can use that as an excuse tonight. We played better in the fourth quarter than we did in the first. Buckeye Local just outplayed us. They outhustled us. They got rebounds. They got down on the floor. They were able to get the contested rebounds. Buckeye Local was better than us tonight.”

The win snapped Buckeye Local’s seven-game losing streak.

“It was good to see them get a win,” McBeth said. “The girls are still practicing really hard despite our record. The win was well deserved.”

The win enabled the Panthers to even the season series as Toronto defeated Buckeye Local, 52-28, Nov. 26 on the road down on Kara Bright Court.

“We focused on the 2-3 tonight,” McBeth said. “That was our main defense. Staying out of foul trouble tonight was huge. We were able to keep girls on the floor. We were able to keep the engine going. That made a big difference. That, and not fouling 30 times.”

The Panthers got in foul trouble against the Red Knights in the first meeting, and that led to Toronto being able to pull away for the win.

“They didn’t press us tonight,” Hodgkiss said. “We like when we teams press us. That opens the floor up. We like to run. Tonight, they condensed the floor. They played the game at their pace.

“Down there, they got into some serious foul trouble early. That was a big factor in the game. It was a tight game, then they got into foul trouble and we were able to pull away.”

Buckeye Local is scheduled to play Cambridge in the Buckeye 8 Tournament at 5:30 p.m. at the ECO Center down in St. Clairsville.

Toronto is slated to play Madonna Tuesday night on the road. The Red Knights rallied to beat the Blue Dons, 52-51, Dec. 8 at home.

“The season is winding down, and we talked in the preseason about fatigue late in the year and I think we have held up OK,” Hodgkiss said. “We played four games with five kids. I could not be more proud of the six girls we have right now. They bring energy and effort every night and at practice. I couldn’t be more proud of them.”

Buckeye Local 40, Toronto 36

Buckeye Local 10 15 9 6 – 40

Toronto 5 5 12 14 – 36

BUCKEYE LOCAL (2-14): Driscoll 2 5-7 9, Becker 1 0-2 2, Stewart 2 0-4 4, Woodland 1 0-0 2, Westfall 8 0-0 17, Colabelli 2 1-2 6. TOTALS: 16 6-15 40.

TORONTO (5-11): Sapp 1 1-1 3, Piatt 0 0-0 0, Reeves 3 6-8 13, Bodnar 1 0-0 3, Dickinson 4 5-13 14. TOTALS: 10 13-24 36.

3-POINTERS: Buckeye Local 2 (Westfall, Colabelli); Toronto 3 (Reeves, Bodnar, Dickinson)