And when two massive moments came his way late Friday, Lamper owned them.

Lamper made the game’s two biggest plays, scoring the go-ahead basket with 19 seconds remaining before drawing a charge seven seconds later as Muncy won an overtime thriller against rival St. John Neumann, 57-55. The Indians (14-6, 5-1) erased an early 12-0 deficit and fought back from six down in the final 2 minutes, 20 seconds of regulation to stay tied for first in the Mid-Penn’s West Division.

They did so in front of a full house at Muncy as both teams traded big plays and baskets like Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier once did, writing another exciting chapter in a rivalry story filled with them.

“It felt good because we needed this win to have the opportunity to play for a Mid-Penn championship,” Lamper said. “It got me feeling good after a bad game.”

MARK NANCE/Sun-Gazette Correspondent St. John Neumann's Kanc Meixel (14) shoots over Muncy's Dominic Guardini (14) in the second quarter.

It took all 11 Indians to help Muncy feel great following this heavyweight clash. The Indians did not lead in the second half until overtime and kept fighting on despite Neumann (11-8, 4-4) doing all it could to derail their league title hopes.

Dominic Guardini (19 points, 10 rebounds) produced a double-double, Jaxton Frantz scored 12 points, Lamper grabbed nine rebounds and the reserves came up big as each player made an impact. Put it all together and Muncy found a way to overcome a fourth quarter deficit and win late against Neumann for a second time this season.

“We went pretty deep and played 11 kids and we got contributions across the board,” Muncy coach Jason Gresh said. “They all locked in. We didn’t always execute. That would be the ideal situation, but

at the end of the day, we focused enough to get the win.”

Following a wild fourth quarter conclusion and the lead changing hands three times in overtime, Neumann took a 55-54 lead when Jahki Brister made a midcourt steal and found Daiton Thompson for a layup at the 45-second mark. That set the stage for Lamper who produced the game’s final lead change. In a game filled with heroes on both teams, Lamper became the final one.

MARK NANCE/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Muncy's Jaxton Frantz (11) celebrates after a score and foul in the fourth quarter.

Seven exciting seconds wiped away a game’s worth of frustration.

Frantz attacked the basket and put up a good shot in the lane, but it was off the mark. Lamper boxed out his man under the basket, grabbed the board and his quick follow-up hit from the middle of the lane nothing but net, giving Muncy a 56-55 lead. Lamper delivered on the other end moments later, racing downcourt, planting himself under the basket and drawing a charge. Muncy ran nine seconds off the clock, Jeremain Morgan hit a free throw and Thompson’s last-second halfcourt heave went wide as Muncy celebrated its most hard-fought win this season.

“I saw Jaxton going up for a floater. I knew if he missed it, I had to get the rebound,” Lamper said. “I had to focus on my layups because I missed a lot and it wasn’t doing well. That was a great feeling.”

Lamper making the game-winning plays seemed an appropriate microcosm because Muncy never flinched despite the rough start, being in a precarious position late and losing guard Gavin Barrows to an injury.

Lamper, an all-state football lineman the past two falls, highlighted the team’s resilience and was in the right spot at the right times when it mattered most. And that goes back to the progress the first-time starter has made this season and work he displays at every practice.

MARK NANCE/Sun-Gazette Correspondent St. John Neumann's Jahki Brister (33) is forced out of bounds by Muncy's Jaxton Frantz (11) in the fourth quarter.

“That shows his maturity. Every game you see him getting better; every practice you see him getting better,” Gresh said. “He’s staying more focused. We call him a goofball but that’s his personality. In practice, he’s serious and he wants to get better and you can see him working at it to get better.

“He didn’t play from midway through the third quarter until late in the fourth. That takes a lot of staying focused, staying ready and being prepared and he did that tonight. He did his job.”

Neumann had a lot of players do their jobs well, including Thompson who scored 18 points, grabbed six rebounds, dealt five assists and blocked three shots. Brister was a force on the boards, collecting a double-double of 13 points and 18 rebounds; Legend Dillard dealt four assists and Zaidyn Diehl-Romano and Kane Meixel each scored nine points. But while Muncy experienced the thrill of gutting out a dramatic win, Neumann felt the sting of letting a great opportunity get away.

The Knights went ahead 50-44 with 2 ½ minutes remaining following a Thompson 3-pointer and dish inside to Brister. But they turned the ball over on their final three fourth quarter possessions and three more times in overtime. Neumann lost 20 turnovers and those mistakes proved fatal in a game decided by such a small margin.

“It’s so frustrating. It sucks when you play that hard and don’t win. It’s like going into the coal mines and coming out with nothing,” Neumann coach Lou Roskowski said. “We’re fighting. I told the guys it’s not because you didn’t play hard. We didn’t have any idea what we were doing at the end of the game. It was mistake after mistake.”

MARK NANCE/Sun-Gazette Correspondent St. John Neumann's Legend Dillard (3) drives around Muncy's Jaxton Frantz(11) in the fourth quarter.

It was a roller coaster type ride for both teams. After Neumann scored the game’s first 12 points, Muncy thundered back, taking a four-point lead before the Knights responded and went up 24-20 at halftime. Neumann grabbed a seven-point third quarter advantage, but Muncy twice tied it.

Meixel and Thompson drained two 3-pointers to help Neumann gain some separation midway through the fourth quarter and the Knights appeared in control following the Thompson/Brister connection with 2 ½ minutes to go.

Despite Muncy fighting back and forcing overtime, Neumann gained the upper hand when Diehl-Romano sank a clutch corner 3-pointer and made it, 53-50. Frantz then found Guardini to make it a one-point game, Neumann turned the ball over and Lamper went to work a possession later.

Diehl-Romano hit some key shots in a heartbreaker against South last Tuesday and continues coming on strong late in his first varsity season. He scored seven second-half points and made repeated hustle plays which kept hope alive whenever Muncy started gaining momentum.

“It was the same way against South. Zay had 11 points but every one he had was big,” Roskowski said. “Zay is the most improved on the team. Kane gives us tenacity and plays hard defense, and Zay deserves a ton of credit for the way he’s been playing.”

MARK NANCE/Sun-Gazette Correspondent St. John Neumann's Legend Dillard (3) shoots around Muncy's Jermain Morgan (23) in the fourth quarter.

Frantz also has enjoyed a strong breakout season and often is a Swiss Army Knife in sneakers. He proved it again, utilizing a hidden strength to make a mammoth contribution. At 5-foot-8, Frantz often is one of the smallest players on the court, but he had a slight height advantage against Meixel and scored eight of his 12 points off post moves, also using those Olajuwon-like moves to get free throw opportunities.

Muncy legend and assistant coach John Brink works with all the players on post moves, regardless of position. Frantz tapped into that knowledge at critical times and gave Muncy scoring opportunities against a tenacious defense.

“Coach Brink always has some sort of post station that he’s working on those little moves. Everybody does them. Just because you’re a guard doesn’t matter,” Gresh said. “You don’t know when they’re going to come in handy and tonight, they did. That was something going in that was not a target of the plan. You don’t go in thinking Jax is going to post up but that’s the way it worked out and that was huge.”

All those little things helped Muncy produce both a big win and a memorable one.

NEUMANN (55)

Daiton Thompson 7 0-0 18, Conner Haswell 1 0-1 2, Legend Dillard 4 0-0 9, Zaidyn Diehl-Romano 4 0-0 9, Avery Taddeo 0 0-0 0, Kane Meixel 4 0-0 9, Jahki Brister 5 2-10 13. Totals 23 2-11 55.

MUNCY (57)

Bryson Barrows 0 0-0 0, Gavin Barrows 2 1-2 5, Carter Feigles 0 0-0 0, Kyran Lisembee 3 0-0 6, Jaxton Frantz 5 2-4 12, Dominic Guardini 9 0-0 19, Jermain Morgan 3 1-2 7, Dylan Mausteller 1 0-0 2, Caleb Beaver 0 0-0 0, Nixon Lamper 2 2-2 6. Totals 25 6-10 57.

Neumann 12 12 11 15 5–55

Muncy 10 10 14 16 7–57

3-pointers: Neumann 7 (Thompson 4, Diehl-Romano, Meixel, Brister); Muncy 1 (Guardini).

Records: Muncy 14-6, 5-1 Mid-Penn. Neumann 11-8, 4-4.

MARK NANCE/Sun-Gazette Correspondent St. John Neumann's Daiton Thompson (1) blocks an attempted shot by Muncy Jaxton Frantz (11) in the third quarter.

MARK NANCE/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Muncy's (32), St. John Neumann's Daiton Thompson (1) and Muncy's Jaxton Frantz (11) chase down a lose ball in the second quarter.

MARK NANCE/Sun-Gazette Correspondent St. John Neumann's Jahki Brister (33) drives around Muncy's Dylan Mausteller (24) in the second quarter.

MARK NANCE/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Muncy's Dominic Guardini (14) shoots over St. John Neumann's Conner Haswell (2) chase down a lose ball in the second quarter.

MARK NANCE/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Muncy's Dominic Guardini (14) shoots around St. John Neumann's Daiton Thompson (1) in the first quarter.

MARK NANCE/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Muncy's Nixon Lamper (44) shoots over St. John Neumann's Jahki Brister (33) battle for a lose ball in the first quarter.

MARK NANCE/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Muncy's Dominic Guardini (14) shoots over St. John Neumann's Conner Haswell (2) in the first quarter.

MARK NANCE/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Muncy's Kyran Lisembee (5) shoots around St. John Neumann's Daiton Thompson (1) in the first quarter.