PLAIN CITY — Fremont High boys basketball trailed Northridge 51-37 midway through the third quarter of Tuesday’s non-region clash, and 60-51 after three quarters.

The Knights, who are expected to be one of the top teams in 5A Region 5, had built their double-digit lead through a high degree of shotmaking and good enough rebounding.

But Fremont, an inexperienced team with just one returning starter and one returning regular player from a season ago, learned a little bit about what it’s made of, erasing that 14-point deficit and winning 75-71 in overtime.

Both teams traded baskets over the final 2 minutes of a tense and loud fourth quarter until Easton Duft’s game-tying layup with 6.3 seconds left in regulation.

Fremont (2-0) won the overtime tip, Weber State-bound guard Hunter Hansen drained a 3-pointer on the first possession and the Silverwolves never trailed or were tied again.

“We were a lot tougher than I thought, we battled, kept battling, didn’t give up, we were tough,” Hansen said.

Hansen scored scored 25 of his game-high 32 points after halftime. On the first third-quarter possession, he got double-teamed on a screen at the top of the key, but dribbled out and around, eventually for a layup.

“I kind of had a tough first half, so I just wanted to get it going early, set the tone,” Hansen said.

Ryker Saunders, who had 12 points all of last season, scored 27 points with four 3-pointers.

All 27 points were in the first three quarters, and he made two 3s late in the third quarter to keep Northridge (0-2) in touching distance.

For a late-November game, the atmosphere and temperature of the game felt like a vital mid-February region game.

There were four lead changes in the fourth quarter, three technical fouls in the game — one was for hanging on the rim, two were from a tie-up on a loose ball — and it was loud.

Playing in such a game at this early stage, let alone coming back from 14 down and winning, could benefit Fremont down the line.

“We’re just gaining experience, we have a lot of guys that haven’t played, so they’re just getting used to playing in front of a crowd right now,” FHS coach Corey Melaney said. “Our student body, they’re itching for a win, you know what I mean?”

Northridge, which returns most of last season’s top players, may also find something beneficial to take from this game down the road, but in the immediate aftermath, the loss stung.

It appeared to hit especially hard considering how in control the Knights looked.

Point guard Bentley Whitear got the Knights going with 17 second-quarter points as they led 36-27 at halftime.

Whitear scored on four straight possessions of the second quarter: a free throw, a 3-pointer on the left wing, a tough catch-and-shoot 3 near the left corner and a 3 off a screen on the right side.

He scored 26 points, but 22 were in the first half and he scored zero in the fourth quarter and overtime. Whitear scored on a couple smooth drives in the third quarter as part of Northridge getting to its 14-point lead.

Josh Kitchen scored 12 of his 17 points in the second half for Northridge and Logan Birt had nine of his 11 points after halftime.

With Northridge up 51-37, both teams traded baskets for the rest of the third and the Knights led 60-51 going to the fourth.

Fremont’s Zach Masters made a corner 3, Northridge missed at the other end, then Hansen made a jump shot from an out-of-bounds play to get the Silverwolves within 60-56 and force an early Knights timeout.

For every basket Northridge scored, Fremont would score twice. Hansen, who was more aggressive on offense in the second half, got a short floater to drop to get Fremont within 63-62, then Ryan Furgeson’s putback gave the Silverwolves the lead with 2:38 left.

“We found ourselves in situations we hadn’t been in before, taking care of the ball late, throwing the ball in, inbounding when we had to, making free throws when we needed to, executing late in regulation and in overtime. Hunter was big, Ryker was big,” Melaney said.

Birt scored on a backdoor cut to give Northridge the lead, and Hansen gave a 66-65 lead immediately back to Fremont with a driving bucket. Birt made two free throws for a 67-66 Knights lead, then Kitchen made one of two foul shots with 26 seconds left for 68-66.

Duft, who’d passed up shots off the dribble all game to instead pass out to teammates, took it himself down the lane for the tying basket, 68-68 with 6.1 seconds left. Birt had a 3 loop out at the regulation buzzer.

Connect with reporter Patrick Carr via email at pcarr@standard.net, Twitter @patrickcarr_ and Instagram @standardexaminersports.

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