In a game of runs, Bunker Hill made enough of them to hold on for the win.

A key 12-4 spurt to end the first half gave the visiting Bears an eight-point lead — a lead they never gave up — and they went on to win 51-46 against Fred T. Foard in a Catawba Valley Athletic Conference league game on Friday night.

With 5 minutes, 24 seconds left in the first half, the Bears used a 7-0 run over the next 1:49, and closed the half on a 12-4 run overall to give themselves a 30-22 halftime lead that was never erased.

During that run, Chase Patterson hit two of his four 3-pointers, including one to beat the buzzer that preluded the teams’ trip into the locker room. “He always knocks down 3s in this gym,” said Matt Wilkinson, Bunker Hill head coach, when asked about Patterson’s ability to hit the 3. “He feels comfortable in this gym.”

Patterson hit three of his four 3s in the first half, and the second one couldn’t have come at a better time. With Fred T. Foard (10-11, 7-9) leading 18-15, Patterson’s 3 with 5:24 left in the second quarter tied the came, and sparked the run that gave the Bears a 25-18 lead. Foard stopped the bleeding with 3:35 left in the quarter when Brian Blair hit a short jumper to cut the lead to 25-20. After a made basket by Bunker Hill’s Chris Crawford, Blair answered again to make the score 27-22. But just as the buzzer sounded, Patterson’s 3 from the left wing touched nothing but net, sending the visitors into the locker room with an eight-point lead. “Tonight we knocked some big shots down,” Wilkinson said. “They knocked them down when it mattered.”

On a night when team shooting wasn’t exactly fit for the highlight reel for either team — Fred T. Foard shot just over 31 percent (14 for 45) and Bunker Hill shot 39 percent (16 for 41) — only a combined 12 field goals were made in the second half (Bunker Hill 5, Fred T. Foard 7). While shooting percentages were down in the half, defense was up.  

While neither team could get anything going in the third quarter (teams combined for 11 points), Foard held Bunker Hill scoreless for a 3-plus minute stretch and used a 7-0 run of its own to pull back into the game at 44-41. But Bunker Hill hit its free throws down the stretch, making 7-of-8 in the final minute to hold on to the win.

“Give all the credit to Bunker Hill,” said Lance Watson, Foard’s head coach. “They did an excellent job of taking our offense away.”

One player the Bears couldn’t stop, though, was Jameel Owens. Owens scored a game-high 22 points. He scored eight of his team’s 11 points in the first quarter, and helped spark the late comeback with a 3 and a layup off a steal in 11 seconds. “Jameel has really come into his own lately,” Watson said.

Patterson led the Bears with 13, and Alex Moser added 12. Anthony Robinson led Bunker Hill with a game-high eight rebounds.

For Foard, Landon Isenhour chipped in 10 points and seven rebounds.

BUNKER HILL 68, FRED T. FOARD 50

The Bears got 24 points from Kellie Rhoney on Foard’s senior night, and they went on to win a CVAC game.

The Bears (10-10, 8-8) outscored the Tigers (9-12, 7-9) 28-17 over the seconds and third quarters to pull away for the win.

Emily Barr added 18 to Rhoney’s 24, and Chelsea Gilbert added nine points. Candy McDanel and Lacey Schanilec added 10 points each for the Tigers.