Bryson Paga was 6 years old the last time a Freeport boys basketball team defeated rival Highlands.
It was a streak of 16 games that extended back to the 2014-15 season.
But that streak came to an end Friday night at Freeport Middle School.
Paga, a junior, scored 10 of his 15 points in the second half, junior Gavin Tola tallied a game-best 16 points and senior Carson Kane recorded eight of his 15 points over the final eight minutes as the Yellowjackets rallied from a double-digit deficit in the second half to score a 61-52 victory.
“It was our energy,” said Paga about what it took to come back and get a key win that lifted Freeport to 5-6 overall and 3-2 in Section 1-4A with a big game against section leader Knoch looming Tuesday.
“We had to keep our defense motivated and hit our shots. Everyone stepped up and did their part. Everyone made plays. This just feels great.”
Freeport coach Rich Macura said ending the streak was nice, but going 1-0 on Friday night in the quest for a spot in the playoffs was the main focus.
“Highlands over the past 10 years has had some very good teams and had gotten the better of us,” he said. “But we weren’t playing to end that streak. This is for us and what we need to do to reach the playoffs. This was one very important step. This was very big for us emotionally.”
Highlands had hoped to bounce back after Tuesday’s tough loss to North Catholic, but the Golden Rams slipped further down in the standings. They fell to 6-6 overall and 1-4 in the section.
“A lot of these kids are seniors, so if they want to make the playoffs, they have to bear down and refocus and get ready for next week,” said Highlands coach Michael Foster, who will guide his team into a section game Tuesday against Valley, a nonsection contest Thursday afternoon against Kiski Area and a section matchup with Burrell on Friday
“They have worked entirely too hard. We’re in a rut right now, but we’re going to get it back. I believe in these guys.”
Highlands came back from down 14 points in the first half, and it turned a slim two-point halftime lead into an 11-point advantage late in the third quarter.
But the Golden Rams were not able to keep the momentum going, and Freeport found its rhythm at both ends of the court with a full quarter remaining.
Paga started the comeback with a 3-pointer at the third-quarter buzzer.
The Yellowjackets then reeled off 10 straight points to start the fourth and take the lead. A jumper from Kane with 4 minutes, 4 seconds remaining gave Freeport a 52-50 lead. A minute later, Kane drained a 3-pointer to extend the Yellowjackets lead to five.
Paga hit two foul shots with 1:51 on the clock to make it 57-50.
Troy Bielak connected on a jumper with 1:37 left to draw Highlands back to within five, but those were the only points the Golden Rams scored in the quarter.
Highlands committed four turnovers in a one-minute span late in the fourth. Paga put the game away with two free throws and a layup over the final 40 seconds.
“We just kept believing in ourselves and played for each other more than anything,” Macura said.
“We had a kid come in the in the fourth quarter, Brayden Riddell, and play very well. He gave us some good minutes defensively. He was in good position and got a couple of steals. He didn’t score, but the things he did on defense were really important as part of the game plan.”
Freeport outscored Highlands, 22-2, over the final 8:07.
“We just stopped moving,” Foster said. “The plays that were there, we just didn’t execute. It’s not like we didn’t know they would have extra help or that they would come out with a little zone action. We knew exactly what they were going to do, and we worked on it. We just didn’t execute when it mattered most.”
Bielak led Highlands with 15 points, and Carmine Lacava added 11 for the Golden Rams. Preston Foster came off the bench to finish with nine points.
Freeport established its offense early as five Yellowjackets shooters drained shots in the first quarter.
Tola led the way with seven points in the first as Freeport led by 11 at the end of one.
Highlands contributed to its deficit with eight turnovers over the first eight minutes.
Kane hit a foul shot, and Owen Westendorf converted a layup early in the second quarter as the Yellowjackets built their largest lead of the first half at 21-7.
But the Golden Rams then started to scratch and claw their way back into the game.
Paga hit one of two from the free-throw line with 3:04 left until halftime as the hosts still held a comfortable 13-point lead.
But Highlands then made things very uncomfortable for the Yellowjackets.
Strong defense and cashing in at the other end helped the Golden Rams come all the way back. They closed the half on a 15-0 run.
Multiple players contributed, and when Lacava put in a layup at the buzzer off a steal from Bielak, Highlands held momentum and a 28-26 advantage.