BLANCHESTER — Hitting 14 of 18 free throws in the fourth quarter, Blanchester rallied to defeat Bethel-Tate 54-53 Thursday in SBAAC National Division girls basketball.

The Ladycats were down nine in the third period. Going to the final period, coach Pete Jackson told his team “to get to the rim and crash the offensive boards.”

The did that and the result was a steady stream of free throws, including one by Emma Winemiller with three seconds left to seal the win.

The Ladycats go to 8-10 overall, 6-5 in the National. Bethel-Tate is 3-13 overall, 1-8 in the division.

Torie Potts led all scorers with 15 points, to go along with four steals. Kaylee Coyle had 10 points and three steals. Winemiller finished with eight points and five rebounds. Olivia Potts had six points and dished out three assists.

Ainsley Whitaker had eight rebounds and six points. Maddie Tipton contributed six points and a steal. Lacie Tedrick had two points and three steals while Gracie Irwin chipped in a point and a steal. Jazmyn Ambrocio had a steal and Daelyn Staehling grabbed two rebounds.

Blanchester much of the first half, failing to get any shot to fall, Jackson said. The coach believed his team was shooting too many three-pointers and the result was a growing deficit. Until the fourth quarter, that is, when Winemiller’s five of six performance helped rally BHS for the win.