Perspective aside, Eisenhower survived a thriller at Sheffield with a 54-53 win Wednesday.

Both teams put on a show in front of a returning Alexa Whipple (see sidebar).

The Knights (2-7) led by as many as 10 in the fourth quarter, but the Wolverines (1-9) fought back to cut the lead to one with 23 seconds left after a pair of Tyler Hepinger free throws. Walker Kyler was called for an intentional foul on Eisenhower’s Jared Martone with 11 seconds to play.

Martone went 1-2 from the line and was fouled again on the inbounds. This time he knocked down both free throws to make it 54-50 with 10 seconds to go.

Sheffield's Tyler Hepinger (13) puts up a 3-pointer over the outstretched arm of Eisenhower's Jared Martone (21) during the fourth quarter of their game at Sheffield High School, Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2020. Hepinger had a career-high 34 points, but the Knights escaped with a 54-53 win over the Wolverines.

Hepinger buried a 3-pointer, his fourth of the quarter, with four ticks remaining. Drew Williams got the ball in to Luke Smelko, and Smelko was fouled with 0.2 left. Smelko was hurt on the play and Wyatt Lookenhouse came in to shoot the free throws. He missed the second intentionally and Jake Vinopal’s full-court heave as time expired was off the mark.

“We like to keep it close,” Eisenhower coach Wayne Lundmark joked after the win.

Neither team was able to get control of the game in the first half. The largest lead of the half was two points, and the half featured five ties and 11 lead changes. The teams were tied at the end of the first quarter, 10-10, and at halftime, 23-23.

“We knew it was going to be a tough, hard-fought game,” Sheffield coach Mike Knapp said. “They have their kids disciplined and we knew it might come down to this. A defensive breakdown here or a loose ball we couldn’t corral made all the difference.”

Hepinger knocked down a three to start the third to give Sheffield its biggest lead of the game. Two minutes later, Martone hit a three to tie, and Williams connected from deep on the next possession to give Eisenhower a lead it wouldn’t relinquish.

Williams hit another 3-pointer with just over three minutes to go in the quarter and Zane Alexander put in a bucket off a turnover to push the Knights advantage to 36-30. Tony Richards and Alexander traded baskets late in the quarter and Eisenhower took a 38-32 lead into the fourth.

“The pressure defense helped (build the lead),” Lundmark said. “Drew started going to the basket more and getting open. I keep telling them the ball motion is what gets it done.”

Alexander and Martone got the first four points of the fourth quarter to give the Knights a 42-32 advantage with just under six minutes to go.

A pair of Hepinger threes sandwiched Vinopal’s basket to cut the deficit to 43-40 with 4:44 left. Alexander and Martone hit on consecutive possessions to stretch the lead back to seven, but Hepinger completed a 3-point play and hit a jumper to make it 47-45 with just over two minutes to play.

“We had seen that press before, but I think the kids were a bit shocked by it when it came,” Knapp said. “That we were able to break it is a sign of our young guys growing up.”

Martone and Williams each hit both ends of a 1-and-1 to make it 51-45 with 1:18 left. Hepinger hit a three to cut the lead to 51-48 and Alexander missed the front end of a 1-and-1 to set up the possession that led to Hepinger’s late free throws.

“The press broke down a bit in the fourth,” Lundmark said. “(Hepinger) was unconscious. Being our first year as coaches, we didn’t know what to expect from him.”

Martone led a trio of Knights in double figures with 21 points. Williams had 14 and Alexander added 12.

Hepinger finished with a career-high 34 points. Richards had nine and Mitch McNeal added seven.

Eisenhower hosts Cochranton Friday, while Sheffield stays home to welcome Union City Saturday.

“It’s good to go into a division game with a win under our belt,” Lundmark said.

Lookenhouse had 28 points to lead Eisenhower to a 49-39 junior varsity win. Keagan Eckstrom added nine in the win.

Connor Johnson led the Wolverines with 16 points, while Caden Copley added 11.

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EISENHOWER (54)

Williams 4-3-4-14, Darling 1-0-0-3, Alexander 4-4-5-12, Smelko 1-0-2-2, Martone 6-6-9-21, Lookenhouse 1-0-2-2, Total 17-13-22-54

SHEFFIELD (53)

Vinopal 1-1-2-3, M. McNeal 3-1-5-7, Richards 4-0-0-9, Hepinger 10-9-9-34, L. McNeal 0-0-0-0, Benjamin 0-0-0-0, Kyler 0-0-0-0, Copley 0-0-0-0, Johnson 0-0-0-0, Total 18-11-16-53

By Quarters

Eisenhower 10 13 15 16 – 54

Sheffield 10 13 9 21 – 53

3-point FGs: Eisenhower (7) – Williams 3, Martone 3, Darling. Sheffield (6) – Hepinger 5, Richards.