ATLANTIC, Iowa — If Friday proved anything, it's that Dan Miller and his Lewis Central boys basketball team have figured out what eight other teams in the Hawkeye Ten Conference haven't: how to beat Atlantic.

For the second time this season, Miller's Titans (12-5, 7-3 Hawk 10) came out on top over the Class 3-A No. 8 Trojans (15-3, 9-2), this time escaping with a 59-58 overtime victory.

A month ago, L.C. earned a two-point win over Atlantic in Council Bluffs, and Friday, it had to overcome an eight-point second-half deficit with Josiah Shepherd, Matt Andersen (15 points each) and Darius McCarther (10) scoring in double figures.

Atlantic's loss snapped its 10-game winning streak and also made the Hawk 10 race more interesting. Clarinda's 69-31 victory over Shenandoah tied the Cardinals with Atlantic for the top spot in the league with a 9-2 record.

Although L.C. has had success against Atlantic this season, that doesn't mean the wins come easy.

“We're just playing hard right now,” said Shepherd, who has averaged 19.5 points a game in L.C.'s two wins over the Trojans. “That's a good ballclub. They're at the top of the conference. They're a tough team, but we know what we can bring.”

Miller said the familiarity of conference play doesn't give either team a decisive advantage on the court.

“Beating them twice is a handful,” Miller said. “We've played each other so many times that we're not really going to get anything over on anyone. Fortunately, our kids were able to make a few more plays tonight. I was proud of our resolve.”

The Titans needed to be resilient to have a chance Friday. Dalton Franken, who led all scorers with 24 points and grabbed eight rebounds, scored with 5:31 to go in the third quarter to give Atlantic a 38-30 lead, its largest of the night.

Lewis Central pulled within 42-36 with 7:15 to go in the game when the momentum swung in the visitors' favor. Andersen scored five straight points, and LaMar Conner a added free throw for a 6-0 Titan run to tie the game.

A Franken 3-pointer made it 45-42, but Conner answered with a basket. After an empty Trojan possession, Alex Reed gave the Titans their first lead of the night with his three-point play for a 47-45 advantage with 1:43 to go.

Atlantic was held without points on its next two possession, but L.C. couldn't capitalize when Shepherd and Andersen each missed the front end of a 1-and-1. The Trojans got the ball back, and with 10 seconds to go, Sam Markham found Gunner Blum alone for an easy basket and a tie game.

The Titans had a shot to win, but Reed's attempt from about 10 feet out was off the mark, sending the game to overtime.

Once the Titans got to overtime, they seized control and never let it go.

McCarther broke the tie for good with two free throws 17 seconds into the extra session. A Franken basket tied the game again at 49, but L.C. responded with four straight points from Conner and Shepherd for a lead they maintained until the closing seconds of overtime when Franken hit a meaningless 3 for the final tally.

The Titans made 8 of 12 free throws and were 2 of 2 from the field in overtime.

L.C. has won its last seven, which also includes a road win at Carroll Kuemper.

“We knew we had to have this win to have any shot in the conference,” Shepherd said. “That's self-motivation for everybody.

“We've gelled. We've gotten used to playing with each other. We've got everyone back, and we're just playing really well now.”

Friday marked the end of a tough three-game stretch for the Trojans, who earned a four-point win last Friday over Clarinda before traveling to Harlan, where they escaped last Tuesday with a two-point overtime victory.

Against L.C., Atlantic's hot shooting cooled down significantly in a second half where it scored just 14 points in regulation.

“The big thing in the second half and overtime was that we were 9 for 31 from the field,” Atlantic coach Steve Blazek said. “We had some pretty good looks in there, but the ball just didn't go in the basket.”

Lewis Central (12-5, 7-3)........................14 12 10 11 12—59
Atlantic (15-3, 9-2)....................................12 21    7    7 11—58

LC: Darius McCarther 3-5 4-6 10, Alex Reed 3-12 3-5 9, Josiah Shepherd 5-9 2-3 15, LaMar Conner 2-4 1-2 5, Matt Andersen 6-10 1-2 15, Tony Rew 0-1 0-0 0, Lincoln Rodenburg 1-2 2-2 5, Trent Rudolph 0-0 0-0 0. Totals: 20-43 13-20 59.

A: Sam Markham 1-7 0-0 2, Chad Christensen 3-7 0-0 8, Dalton Franken 9-18 2-2 24, Gunner Blum 3-6 0-0 6, Harrison Hoegh 6-10 1-4 13, Blake Esbeck 1-6 0-0 3, Stuart Hoegh 1-4 0-0 2. Totals: 24-58 3-6 58.

3-point shots: LC 6-13(McCarther 0-1, Reed 0-3, Shepherd 3-6, Rodenburg 1-1, Andersen 2-2), A 7-21 (Markham 0-3, Christensen 2-4, Franken 4-4, Blum 0-2, Esbeck 1-6, S. Hoegh 0-2). Rebounds: LC 30 (Reed 10), A 31(Franken 8). Assists: LC 8 (Conner 3), A 9 (Markham 4), Turnovers: LC 19, A 11.