LAWRENCE TWP — It was one of the wildest endings you’ll ever see in high school basketball — and a reminder of the almost impossible task that officials face when they don’t have the benefit of instant replay. After racing to a double-digit lead after three quarters, Hightstown had to hold on for dear life as time expired to secure a 51-49 win at Notre Dame on Tuesday in a classic CVC showdown. “Tonight was a great atmosphere for our guys to play in a hostile environment, and we found a way to get out of there with a win,” Hightstown head coach Don DeLeo said. “That’s a credit to our guys — not our coaching staff, but our kids. They didn’t falter and they made the plays and they won the game for us.” The very end was something that the fans who were in attendance will be talking about for a long time. Inbounding the ball with one second left from underneath Notre Dame’s basket, Hightstown threw it off one of its own player’s legs. The officials huddled on the court before declaring that there was no time left on the clock when the whistle was blown, thus ending the game. According to Notre Dame head coach Tim Stevens, who spoke with the officials amidst the commotion, the lead official initially called time still on the clock. But the trail official said the horn went off first, leading to a reversal. Stevens believed that 0.3 should have been put back on the clock to give Notre Dame a chance at inbounding the ball for a tip-in, but he held no ill-will toward the officials. “These officials are out here working their tails off every night, so I held nothing against them,” Stevens said. “I saw it differently, and it what it is. It’s unfortunate we didn’t get the opportunity, but they called a great game. That’s not where the game was lost. The game was lost in the first quarter and the first half where we were giving up too many points and too many clean looks.” Prior to that play, Notre Dame drove the length of the court after Hightstown missed two free throws with five seconds left, but the Irish were called for a charge in the paint. The clock reached zero, yet the whistle was clearly blown before that, so one second was put back. The Rams ultimately needed a stroke of luck on the final play, but they persevered on a night when they attempted only three free throws to Notre Dame’s 14 by drilling six 3-pointers and making timely defensive plays. “We love that environment,” said Jason Whitlock, a junior wing who had a team-high 17 points and blocked a pair of shots in the third quarter. “We had to slow the pace down because they were pushing us, and we got it.” Jackson White added 12 points on four 3-pointers and had a standout game defensively along with James Boswell, with the two of them combining to secure a jump ball late in the game. “The toughness that those two showed on the defensive end down the stretch I felt like pushed us over the top,” DeLeo said. Hightstown was initially playing — and thriving — at a faster pace. The Rams scored 20 points in the first quarter and went on an 11-0 run at one point, highlighted by a White triple followed by a steal and a layup by Whitlock, to take control of the game. Notre Dame then settled down defensively, and after trailing 47-37 entering the fourth quarter, the Irish held the Rams to four points over the final eight minutes in order to nearly pull off the comeback. “We were trying to be more active off the ball,” Stevens said. “I think we were overhelping at times, we were helping the wrong situation, not closing out to the right spots — things like that. So once we locked in a little bit and made them get tougher looks, it really helped us out to tighten up the gap.” Josh Gatete paced Notre Dame with 21 points and Charlie Schurr added 11, but Notre Dame’s best player, Will Foley, was held to single digits (nine) for the first time all season. Hightstown pressured Foley up high with face-guarding from Chase Deutsch, and Whitlock also defended the talented junior guard at times. “We started fast, but in the end we had to slowly come back because they were doing really well, so we had to communicate on defense,” Whitlock said. “Our communication on defense is getting a lot better.” Hightstown had lost four in a row between challenging showcases and a tough road game at Hopewell Valley last Friday, so this was a big win to get the Rams back to .500. And they’re set to get 6-foot-9 forward Brett Carter into their lineup next Tuesday against Robbinsville as the senior will finally be eligible after transferring from St. Thomas Aquinas. “I’m excited because he’s a big part of our team,” Whitlock said. “Once we get him we should do big things.” Notre Dame, meanwhile, also sits with a .500 record and is aiming to become a stronger defensive team as the season wears on. Tuesday night served as another gut-check in the rugged CVC. “I think you can go into most gyms in Mercer County this season and it’s gonna be parity across the board,” Stevens said. “You’re gonna get a lot of tight games like this. I think you’re gonna look in the paper the next day or look online and see some upsets that really aren’t upsets, because I think any given night, anybody in our league is gonna be able to battle. I think tonight that’s exactly what it was.” HIGHTSTOWN (51) Mamone 2-0-4, Whitlock 8-1-17, White 4-0-12, Deutsch 3-0-7, Kingwood 1-0-2, Boswell 1-0-3, Sarr 2-0-4, Davis 1-0-2. Totals — 22-1-51. NOTRE DAME (49) Foley 4-1-9, Gatete 8-4-21, Schurr 4-3-11, Rancan 2-0-4, Chuderewicz 0-2-2. Totals — 14-9-49. Hightstown (5-5) 20 11 16 4 — 51 Notre Dame (5-5) 14 10 13 12 — 49 3-point goals: White 4, Deutsch, Boswell (H), Gatete (ND).