Austin Eggl hadn't hit a field goal all night.
But with two minutes left in an overtime contest against Dunseith on Thursday, the junior guard fired away.
Swish.
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Daniel Allar/MDN
Bishop Ryan sophomore Jared Will looks to shoot in front of Dunseith senior Alex Jeanotte during the Lions’ overtime win Thursday at Ryan’s gym.
The 3-point bucket gave Bishop Ryan a two-point lead, an advantage the Lions didn't surrender in a 56-52 home-opening win.
"Just another shot," Eggl said. "Like any other day in practice. ... Gotta step up in the clutch and knock it down."
The Lions (4-1) trailed by as many as 11 points. But a second-half adjustment to get the ball inside paid immediate dividends.
Sophomore Jared Will scored 12 of his 18 points after the break and Mason Kramer tallied nine points in the second half.
"We did talk to the boys at halftime about working inside-out, that it collapses that zone," Ryan coach Scott Medalen said. "It collapses their man-to-man and it gives you that opportunity to have shots on the perimeter or to break them down going back to the rim."
Ryan closed the third stanza on a 14-2 run to grab a 40-37 lead.
But with one minute, three seconds to go, Jordan Bruce hit the second of two fourth-quarter treys that gave Dunseith (4-2) a 48-47 lead.
Brody Bosch landed uncomfortably after being fouled with 9.3 seconds left, prompting a long injury timeout. After the break, Medalen inserted sophomore Tanner Sanders into the game while Bosch was being tended to on the bench and given what appeared to be concussion tests.
On the following inbounds play, junior Mitch Medalen was fouled in the act of shooting. He hit his second free throw to send the game to the extra period.
Will scored the team's last four points in overtime, including a pair of foul shots that stretched Ryan's lead to four with 8.7 seconds left.
"We just didn't give up," Will said. "We kept at it and we worked hard."
Kramer (13 points) and Bosch (11) joined Will in double figures for the Lions, who play at 7 p.m. today at Hazen.
Devon Davis scored 15 to lead the Dragons. Dunseith is off until a Dec. 28 game at Four Winds-Minnewaukan.