T-L Photo/SETH STASKEY BRIDGEPORT’S Jaki Threet drives to the basket against Toronto’s Nolan Dickinson during the third quarter of Friday’s game inside the John J. Havlicek Gymnsium in Wolfhurst. The Red Knights pocketed a 46-42 victory.

WOLFHURST – Toronto is chasing an OVAC Tournament playoff berth.

With the tournament deadline looming just days away, the Red Knights entered Friday night’s clash with Bridgeport sitting in sixth place in the Class 2A race, but just an eyelash out of third place. The top four teams secure tourney berths.

Coach Sean Tucker’s charges pocketed a crucial repeat win against the Bulldogs on Frank Baxter Court, escaping John J. Havlicek Gymnasium with a hard-earned 46-42 triumph. Toronto boosted its record to 10-7 and will now travel to Oak Glen Tuesday with bountiful Class 4A points at stake.

Bridgeport, which conducted Senior Night activities, acquitted itself quite nicely in a losing cause. Coach Donnie’s Cash’s charges overcome a miserable start before throwing a major scare into the Red Knights in the fourth quarter.

Toronto took the initial meeting, 64-42.

The Bulldogs suffered their 14th setback against four wins. Cash’s crew returns to action tonight at Shadyside.

“I can’t complain about our effort, especially the way we have been playing lately. We played hard and our zone defense gave them some trouble,” Cash said. “We got down huge early but we battled back and made things interesting in the fourth quarter.”

Toronto did start extremely well.

The Red Knights took early command by scoring the game’s first nine points en route to a 14-2 advantage at the quarter pole. Cayden Benton, a 6 ft. 6 junior force, keyed the surge with five points.

The Bulldogs began clawing back in the second period. The hosts used six points from Avery Jackson in the quarter to pare the deficit to 27-19 at intermission.

The third frame proved a standoff with each team netting 11 points, enabling Toronto to maintain a 38-30 advantage entering the final chapter.

Bridgeport made things quite uneasy for Toronto when senior standout Colin Jackson buried a trey and followed with a deuce, the latter coming at the six-minute mark, drawing the hosts to with 42-37. After a Red Knight hoop, Bulldog rising frosh Jaki Threet delivered a conventional three-point play, bringing Cash’s squad to within 44-40.

Toronto subsequently went into clock-killing mode. The Red Knights opened some breathing room on a Blake Close hoop with 1:16 showing for a 46-40 lighting.

Bridgeport refused to quit. Avery Jackson was fouled with 1:05 remaining, draining both charity tosses for a 46-42 reading.

As fate would have it, those two freebies would be the last points of the evening as the two teams combined for four missed shots and a pair of turnovers in the final minute.

Benton and Close led Toronto with 12 points each. Kam Baker and Nolan Dickinson evenly divided 16 counters.

“We came out hard and defended well. I thought we made some good adjustments at halftime but we may have become a little too patient,” Tucker said. “We weren’t as hungry in the second half. Then the momentum began to turn near the end of the third quarter.

“Donnie did a great job of coaching. He had his team well prepared and they played extremely well. He doesn’t get enough credit for the job he does,” he added. “We did enough to get the win. But we are capable of playing much better.”

Colin Jackson topped the Bulldog attack with 11 points while Avery Jackson finished with 10 counters. Daniel Spurlock chipped in with eight tallies.

“We played much more aggressively in the second half. We also did a much better job on Benton,” Cash said. “We had our chances down the stretch. I am proud of my guys. They didn’t fold when we got down early.”

Toronto also took the reserve game.