NAPPANEE - Free throws have proven to be a thorn in the side of the NorthWood Panthers boys basketball team this season. They almost proved to be too much on Thursday against the No. 5 (2A) Bremen Lions. NorthWood made just 11 of 23 freebies, including just 1 of 10 in the fourth quarter, but the Panthers held off Bremen 48-46 in a game that came down to the final possession.

Bremen had the experience advantage with recent close games, but the Panthers were just a bit too strong. This was the Lions' 10th game that came down to the wire. Bremen was 7-2 in similar games before Thursday, but the Lions just couldn't get the shots to fall when the game was on the line.

"Our kids know what to do," Bremen head coach Gary Hudson said. "I think we did it tonight, we just ran out of time."

Bobby Brown had a solid game with eight rebounds, three assists and two steals. However, he had just 11 points after scoring 31 against Mishawaka on Saturday.

"Bobby's an excellent ball player," Hudson said. "We did not want him to get loose."

After starting the game 9-of-13 shooting, Bremen went cold thanks in large part to NorthWood's tight in-your-face defense. The Lions shot just 6 of 31 the rest of the way for a 19 percent clip.

Despite the hot start for Bremen, NorthWood led 19-16 after one quarter as Nic Bradley was left open for three three-pointers. The Panthers led almost the entire game and held a 39-34 advantage to open the fourth.

In the final period, Aaron Huber hit a layup to open the scoring that gave the Panthers a commanding seven-point lead. But Bremen came back with three free throws and a big three-pointer from Nate Hudson to make the score 41-40. Chad Martin stopped the Lions momentum with a basket, and Eric Yoder hit a jumper and was fouled. He missed the free throw that would have put NorthWood ahead by six.

Brown had a chance to up the Panthers' 45-40 lead at the charity stripe, but he missed two shots there. While NorthWood was missing free throws, Bremen was slowly chipping away at the lead and got to within one point at 47-46.

Bradley missed the first of a one-and-one, and Brown followed with 1 of 2 free throws with 1:13 to play to make the score 48-46. With 11 seconds to play, Huber missed a pair at the line, but Bremen missed a shot to tie the score. With three seconds left, Brown missed two more free throws, but the Lions' last-second heave fell short.

Brown was the only player to score in double figures for NorthWood, but the Panthers had numerous other contributors. Zell scored eight points and grabbed nine rebounds, while Bradley scored nine points and had seven boards. Charlie Roeder came off the bench to score five points and grab seven rebounds.

"I thought we did a good job defensively," NorthWood head coach Dan Gunn said. "I thought we handled (6-foot-6 Adam) Mark well. (David) Slos didn't hurt us too bad. We got off to a good start tonight. If we hit our free throws, we win by 10 or 12 and coach has an easy night. But, I'll take two."

Bremen falls to 15-4 on the year while NorthWood improves to 13-5. The Panthers will play at Whitko on Tuesday. [[In-content Ad]]