COUDERSPORT – The Coudersport boys were looking to keep their perfect season alive when they hosted Ridgway on Friday night in a big non-league matchup.

They completed the task in as dramatic a contest as you could’ve asked for.

The Falcons improved to 8-0 on the season with a thrilling 56-54 overtime victory over the Elkers.

“Ridgway’s a really good team and we knew we’d have to play our best to have a chance tonight,” Coudy coach Brian Furman said. “We got some pressure there at the end and we were able to pull it out.”

In a matchup of two teams that could very well meet again down the road come playoff time, those in attendance certainly got their money’s worth. This game had numerous lead changes, clutch shooting, fantastic defensive efforts and incredible displays of hustle.

Things got off to a rollicking start, with Ridgway taking an early 8-2 lead on a great play Neil MacDonald (nine points), who drew a foul after converting a tough layup, subsequently making the free throw.

There were multiple early lead changes, with both teams pushing the tempo and creating a lot of good scoring opportunities.

MacDonald in particular made some great drives to the basket in the early going, really frustrating the Falcons’ defense.

A late deep 3 by Josh Thorwart (11 points) gave Ridgway a 22-15 lead after one.

The Elkers’ swarming zone defense forced Coudy into a lot of tough shots.

However, the Falcons were able to get to the line on multiple occasions, and were able to convert on their chances at the charity stripe to keep the score close.

A low-scoring second quarter was highlighted by some questionable calls – at least in the eyes of the home crowd. They let their displeasure be known several times in the second frame, as the Falcons went into the half down 31-27.

After making so many free throws in the first half, Coudy went suddenly cold from the line early in the second half, missing four consecutive shots from the charity stripe.

Ridgway slowed the pace down in the third quarter, which resulted in both teams struggling to find easy shots. In fact, it took nearly four minutes for the first points of the second half to be recorded.

Coudy’s Jared Green was finally able to find some room in the paint late in the quarter, and his basket at the 1:28 mark tied the game at 30-30. On the very next possession, he made his mark defensively, coming up with a huge block that got the crowd on their feet. Green led the Falcons with 14 points on the night.

As the clock wound down, it seemed that both teams had to fight for every inch of space on the court.

“We had to dig down a little bit,” he said. “We went to our press and we were able to get some turnovers and some scores off of those and that kind of changed the momentum.”

Furman’s decision to amp up the pressure paid dividends, as his team were able to harass Ridgway on several inbound plays. Within minutes, the Falcons were able to cut what was once a 47-39 Ridgway lead into a 47-45 deficit.

“I thought we played better for the first 30 minutes but they were better in the last two,” Ridgway coach Anthony Allegretto said. “They went into that press and once you get that first turnover guys kind of get tight and I think that’s what happened.”

With less than a minute left in regulation, Coudy’s Owen Chambers came up with a steal and a basket to tie the game at 47-47. Only seconds later, Chambers wound up with the ball again, this time drawing a foul. His two free throws gave the Falcons a two-point lead with only seconds to go.

But Ridgway simply wouldn’t go away. On their final possession of the fourth quarter, they finally fought through the press and found Andy Breier wide open to tie the game at 49-49 with less than three seconds to play. Breier was the game’s leading scorer with 21 points.

Rather than hang their heads after giving up such a late basket, Furman’s group went right back at it in the overtime period.

In the extra frame, Chambers came up big once again. His 3-pointer gave Coudy a 54-49 lead in the extra frame. Chambers finished the night with 10 points, most of which came in the second half and overtime.

“I think the fact that we were able to come back in regulation to force overtime helped us bounce back,” Furman said.

Once again, though, Ridgway made a run of their own, cutting the lead to 56-54 and getting a shot at a tying (or winning) basket. As the final seconds ticked away, Justin Kasmierski put up a last-ditch effort. The ball seemed for all the world that it might go in, but it wasn’t meant to be for the Elkers’, as the home crowd erupted when the shot went off the rim.

Coudersport (8-0) will travel to Cameron County on Monday, while Ridgway (8-2) is off until Tuesday when they host Brockway.

At Coudersport

Ridgway (54)

Shilk 1 0-0 3, Ames 1 0-0 2, Josh Thorwart 4 1-2 11, MacDonald 4 1-1 9, Andy Breier 10 1-1 21, Kasmierski 4 0-0 8. Totals 24 3-4 54.

Coudersport (56)

Layag 2 0-0 4, Aaron Wolfinger 4 1-3 10, Owen Chambers 2 5-5 10, Derek Keglovits 6 0-0 12, Jared Green 5 4-7 14, Ricker 1 3-3 6. Totals 20 13-18 56.

Ridgway       22 31 37 49 54

Coudersport 15 27 37 49 56

Three-point goals: Ridgway 4 (Shilk, Ames, Thorwart 2); Coudersport 3 (Wolfinger, Chambers, Ricke)

Total fouls: Ridgway 16, Coudersport 14. Fouled out: MacDonald (Ridgway)

JV score: Coudersport