Staff photo / Preston Byers The Columbiana boys basketball team lifts up Seth Struharik (0) after he hit a buzzer-beating 3-point shot on Friday against Valley Christian in Youngstown.

YOUNGSTOWN — Valley Christian represents half of Columbiana’s losses this season, and after Friday, the Clippers not only represent one of the Eagles’ few losses, but also a memorably painful one.

Despite trailing by 10 heading into the fourth quarter, Columbiana mounted a comeback to tie the game in the final 90 seconds. After a series of mistakes, allowing Valley Christian to erase a small deficit and knot the score at 52 with 4.1 seconds, the Clippers had one final chance to win the game in regulation.

Seth Struharik took the inbound pass and quickly dribbled along the right side of the court, past mid-court, avoided a Jerrell Miles contest and let the ball fly. Moments later, the ball bounced off of the backboard and through the net, sending the Columbiana supporters, players and coaches into a frenzy. The Clippers won 55-52 on Friday night.

Struharik’s elated teammates lifted him into the air while the Eagles reeled from a stunning, streak-ending conference loss.

“It’s been an emotional rollercoaster with this team all year, so not just tonight. But these kids battled and I’m proud as heck of how their resolve and how they battled through the peaks and the valleys of this game,” Columbiana coach Todd Johnson said.

With the win, Columbiana avenges one of its two losses this season; the Eagles defeated the Clippers 56-37 on Jan. 11 in Columbiana. The win also means the two teams could share the Eastern Ohio Athletic Conference, which VC would have clinched with a win Friday.

“They’re extremely athletic. They shoot the ball extremely well. They’re very well-coached. Coach [Dolph] Carroll does a great job, him and his staff,” Johnson said of Valley Christian. “They’re just a tough part all the way through. And the way they get up and pressure you is extremely difficult as well. There are a lot of things to prepare for, so that makes them a very, very tough team to play against.”

The Eagles, for most of Friday’s game, maintained a lead and controlled much of the action.

VC took a seven-point lead into the second quarter and slightly expanded its advantage to eight by halftime. After a string of Columbiana baskets, the Eagle lead grew to 10 in the third quarter behind an 8-0 run powered solely by Jaylen Robinson.

In the fourth, however, the Eagles’ mistakes began to catch up with them. Turnovers, fouls, and off-the-mark shots opened the door for Columbiana, which opened the quarter on a 12-2 run to tie the game at 47.

“Unfortunately for us, we kind of got a little lackadaisical in the fourth quarter, and I think we turned the ball over three straight times, missed two layups,” Carroll said.

The Clippers took their first lead of the game with 48.1 seconds remaining on a pair of Cooper Brown free throws before Brown was called for a technical foul, which VC used to cut the lead to one. Struharik split his foul shots to give the Clippers back a two-point lead just moments before Patrick Riley tied it up with two successful free throws with 4.1 seconds left.

Before the final possession, Johnson gathered his team.

“‘Try to stay as calm as much as you can. Meet the moment. Don’t let the moment be too big for you,'” Johnson said he told his team. “That’s kind of been what we’ve preached the last couple of days of practice. Just meet the moment. Don’t let the moment be too big. Stay calm. Stay relaxed. Don’t get overworked, because then that’s when the pressure will hit you.”

The win improves Columbiana’s record to 17-2 on the season and 12-1 in league play, but Johnson and the Clippers will have less than 24 hours to celebrate before suiting up again.

“We got Lowellville coming in [tonight], so we got to be hungry and excited and be ready,” Johnson said. “It’s our last regular-season home game. … Obviously we’re gonna enjoy the heck out of this one, but then, come 12:01, we gotta turn the page and get ready to go for a scrappy, mobile team.”

Carroll’s Eagles (15-3, 12-1), whose 14-game win streak was snapped Friday, also have to quickly move past the result — VC play Cardinal Mooney today — although they should be more than eager to do so.

“We’ll see what kind of character we have. We got to be able to bounce back,” Carroll said. “I’m kind of glad we’re playing tomorrow — don’t have a lot of time to dwell on this, can’t feel sorry for ourselves, can’t pout. Got to keep moving forward. It’s one of the great things about basketball; you don’t have a lot of time to pout and feel sorry for yourselves.”