Staff photo / Greg Macafee LaBrae’s Austin Rowe shoots a 3-pointer Tuesday night against Newton Falls. Rowe hit the game-winning free throws to propel the Vikings past the Tigers.

LEAVITTSBURG — It was standing-room only when LaBrae hosted Newton Falls on Tuesday with first place in the Mahoning Valley Athletic Conference on the line.

The Vikings pulled out a 41-40 victory in the latest chapter of a big-time rivalry. Junior Jay McGarry scored seven of his team-high 14 points in the fourth quarter, helping LaBrae get the win.

“It was a rough game,” McGarry said. “There were probably a lot of mistakes that we could’ve capitalized on. Newton Falls is a tough team. You can’t afford to make too many mistakes. We were fortunate to come together as a team in the fourth quarter, and rally for the win.

“We’ve been going back and forth for years. It’s always fun to play Newton Falls. There are always big crowds. Everyone gets into it, and enjoys themselves.”

The home fans enjoyed an 18-7 lead at the end of the first quarter thanks to a three-pointer from freshman Austin Rowe (13 points).

However, no lead is safe when these teams tangle. The Tigers quickly cut the deficit to four, but they trailed 26-19 at halftime.

Then, senior Alex Pennington (game-high 18 points) took over the ballgame for Newton Falls. Pennington scored 10 in the third, and the Tigers took a 35-30 advantage to the fourth quarter.

Newton Falls (12-3, 7-2) scored the first five points of the fourth behind a steal and a layup from Dom Greathouse and a 3-pointer by Pennington.

The Tigers were ahead 40-30 with 7:03 left to play, but that was the last time Newton Falls put points on the scoreboard.

McGarry drained one from downtown as the Vikings drew closer. The Tigers were clinging to a 40-39 advantage, with 20 seconds remaining in regulation, but Rowe was fouled and nailed a pair of free-throws to put LaBrae ahead.

“I was proud of our defense after the first quarter,” Newton Falls coach Roy Sembach said. “They punched us in the mouth early. Our defense stayed with it. We came back and took the lead in the third quarter. Pennington is a strong kid. He’s got the ability to score.

“Then, we started committing bad fouls. We were fouling them twenty, or thirty feet from the basket. You can’t foul that far out. That’s why they got to shoot those two from the line at the end. We knew those were going in with Rowe shooting them.”

Rowe calmly gave LaBrae (11-4, 8-1) the lead for good.

“We knew they were in,” LaBrae coach Chad Kiser said. “We talked about what we were going to do defensively because we knew he would make them. He’s the best shooter around. He lives in the gym. If we had to handpick someone to shoot them, it would’ve been Austin.

“We let the lead slip away. Then, we got stops defensively. McGarry made some plays down the stretch. He hit a big shot. We got some rebounds. Kahnell was there for the block. It was just a great team effort.

Senior Blake Kahnell swatted away the Tigers’ last second chance to win the game.

“Austin Rowe hit two great free throws,” Kahnell said. “Mac Haidet brought the ball down. They got an offensive rebound and put a shot up and I was able to get up to block it. It was a great way to finish a big rivalry game.”