As the clock wound down to all zeros and the buzzer sounded, Otto-Eldred’s players and coaches couldn’t help but erupt.

The Terrors have gotten off to a frustrating start to the season, compiling plenty of excruciating losses that they could have won. On Tuesday night at Bradford, they found themselves down 12 early in the fourth quarter and seemed destined for another tough result.

However, this time was different for the Terrors. O-E kept Bradford within striking distance the rest of the way and used a late surge to come back for a 46-43 win over their hosts at the Owls’ Nest.

The win gives O-E (2-7) its second of the year and back-to-back victories after beginning the season 0-7. It also marks a bit of revenge for Otto-Eldred, which had dropped a narrow 54-52 decision to Bradford at the Terror Dome on Jan. 18.

“Hopefully we get on a little run, and that’s what we’ve talked about,” O-E coach Steve Bell said. “We turned the corner with our first win Saturday, so now we want to get on a run. Being down 12 and coming back was a gut check. We could’ve taken the season one way or another there, and I’m proud of the guys for taking (the season) the right way.”

Otto-Eldred trailed the Owls 36-29 entering the fourth quarter, and then Jake Franz scored five quick points to extend that Bradford (3-4) lead to 41-29 with 7:02 to play.

But O-E tightened its defense from there, and went into a press that, combined with the Terrors’ length, gave Bradford fits. The Owls only scored two more points the rest of the way, while O-E converted Bradford turnovers into points on the other end.

Over the next 2:30, O-E trimmed its deficit to five as Cole Sebastian hit a layup and converted an and-1 on the play and then Jake Merry followed with a pair of free throws and a layup of his own.

That pair led O-E all night, as Merry finished with a game-high 19 points while Sebastian chipped in 10.

After that quick spurt, the Terrors scored back-to-back fast break layups off Owl turnovers to get to within one point, 41-40. Gavin Jimerson (9 points) then tied it with a free throw.

“(O-E) picked up the pressure and brought a lot of intensity and energy with it,” Bradford coach Chuck Bell, the younger brother of Steve Bell, said. “They got a little momentum, and they carried it through. They’re a long team, and when (Steve) gets them to play hard defense, they’re a tough group.”

Nolan Ruolo gave Bradford its final bucket and lead of the game with a press-breaking layup with 1:14 to play, but Merry answered just six seconds later with a layup.

Sebastian added a free throw with 40 seconds to go, and then Merry added two more from the charity stripe with 13 seconds left to give O-E its 46-43 advantage.

Bradford got one final chance — a Cam Austin 3-pointer from the wing — but the shot rimmed off.

Merry scored 10 of his 19 points during the fourth quarter, while Sebastian scored four of his 10 during the frame and was the key to O-E’s suffocating press.

“(Jake) is such a good ball player. He’s intense and wants to win. With his leadership, it’s easy to get behind him, and he finished the game off really well,” Steve Bell said.

Chuck Bell added of the O-E guard, “Jake kept them controlled in the first half, and you could see he wanted to take the game over. He got his, and when he got to the free-throw line, he was clutch.”

Steve Bell said of Sebastian, “What can you say about a kid going to college (Canisius) for baseball on a Division 1 scholarship? He comes here, and we appreciate having him. He means so much to this team with his defense. He’s quick, and he can cause some havoc.”

The Owls had gotten off to one of their strongest starts of the year. Bradford raced out to a 29-20 halftime advantage, built off of sharpshooting. The Owls connected on five treys in the first half, but just one in the second.

Cam Austin scored 10 of his team-high 13 points before the intermission, while Dalton Dixon hit a pair of triples in the second quarter to score eight of his game’s 12 points by halftime.

“In the first half, we shot really well. I thought we moved the ball well and found the open guy and knocked down the shots when we had them,” Chuck Bell said.

That start gave the Owls chances at dagger shots late in the game, even as O-E was storming back. But Bradford couldn’t convert, as the turnovers and missed layups, including some that were wide open at point-blank range, piled up.

“It starts with focus at practice and paying attention to details and executing, so when it’s a game we’re familiar with it and know how to handle it,” Chuck Bell said of cleaning those mistakes up. “We let some things get sloppy instead of being clean and crisp, and that comes from practice.”

Should O-E’s schedule hold up, its next game is Feb. 8 at Port Allegany. Bradford, which has dropped back-to-back games by three points, hosts Smethport Friday night.

“Things won’t always be easy for us, but if we take these experiences and learn from them, it will be better for us in the long run,” Chuck Bell said. “We can only control what we can control, so we’ll learn from this and come back ready to play Friday against Smethport. They’re a team that plays hard, so we’ll need to match that energy and do what we do well.”

AT BRADFORD

Otto-Eldred (46)

Jake Merry 7 5-5 19, Cole Sebastian 4 2-5 10, Jimerson 4 1-2 9, Cousins 1 2-2 5, Bell 1 0-0 2, Walker 0 1-2 1. Totals: 17 11-16 46

Bradford (43)

Cam Austin 4 2-2 13, Dalton Dixon 5 0-0 12, Franz 2 1-2 5, Piscitelli 2 2-2 7, Ruolo 3 0-1 6. Totals: 16 5-6 43

Otto-Eldred 9 20 29 46

Bradford 14 29 36 43

Three-point goals: O-E 1 (Counsins), Bradford 6 (Austin 3, Dixon 2, Piscitelli); Total fouls: O-E 12, Bradford 14; fouled out: None.

JV: Otto-Eldred won, 39-35.