Greer Henry stepped to the free-throw line with 14 seconds left in the game on Friday night in Lloyd E. Scott Gymnasium.

The Owls led by one point and were trying their hardest to hold off a Silver Creek team that was making a late run. The Dragons took their first lead of the game with 2:52 remaining.

Two free throws from Brooke Trinkle put Seymour back out in front 36-35, and after a hectic sequence of plays in the final minute, it was Henry that stood still at the line with 14 ticks to go.

The sophomore calmly stepped up to the charity stripe and knocked in both to give the Owls a nice buffer at 38-35.

Silver Creek’s Kiara Gant had two looks at a 3-pointer to try to tie the game, but she couldn’t connect, and the Owls held on for a three-point victory.

“My team did so much good stuff on the defensive end and they did so much work for me that I had to put those two (free throws) in,” Henry said. “I had to do it for my team.”

The whole game was a grind from start to finish.

It was an impressive effort from the Owls in the first half. Right from the jump, Seymour was active and aggressive on the defensive side of the ball.

Seymour held Silver Creek to just 10 total points in the first half as the Dragons scored six in the first quarter and four in the second.

“Our goal was big on the defensive end,” Henry said. “Our offense would come with what we did on defense. If we played that tight and competitive defense, we were going to score on them.”

Meanwhile for the Owls, they got to the free-throw line six times and made all six. Kendall Sterling led the way with 10 points, Journee Brown hit two shots and Claire Marshall converted an and-one in the second quarter to extend the Owls’ lead to 18-10 at the break.

In the third quarter, Silver Creek went on a 6-0 run to cut the lead to 20-16 midway through the frame. Sterling hit a big 3-pointer to push the Owls’ lead back up to nine, but Silver Creek ended the third on a 4-0 run to make it a 25-20 deficit.

The fourth quarter was a back-and-forth game, and Silver Creek just kept inching closer and closer.

“Stay calm, compete still, keep your hands off on the fouls and just keep competing,” Henry said on what the Owls told one another when Silver Creek gained the lead.

The Owls were able to do all of those things to regain the lead and win a game they felt like they should’ve won.

Sterling led Seymour with 17 points on the night, followed by Marshall with nine, Brown with five, Trinkle three, Henry two and Jaidyn Nichols two.

Henry said it’s nice to have a player like Sterling who can handle the pressure and get the ball in the basket for the Owls.

With the win, Seymour now improves to 3-0 this season. The Owls will have a quick turnaround as they play later today against Greenwood for their first road game of the season.

It’s an early tip, as well, at 1:30 p.m.

“We’re doing pretty well right now, and we’ve gained a lot of confidence,” Henry said. “We have a big game tomorrow, so we just have to stay in this mindset and keep competing.”

Box score

Seymour 38, Silver Creek 35

Silver Creek;6;4;10;15;—;35

Seymour;7;11;7;13;—;38

Silver Creek (0-1): Ellie Falkenstein 2 5-8 9, Lydia Wright 3 2-3 8, Emma Schoen 2 0-0 5, Brooklyn Renn 2 1-2 5, Kiara Gant 1 2-3 4, Hallie Foley 1 0-0 3, Katy Rooney 0 1-2 1, Totals 11 11-18 35.

Seymour (3-0): Kendall Sterling 6 4-4 17, Claire Marshall 4 1-1 9, Journee Brown 2 1-4 5, Brooke Trinkle 0 3-4 3, Greer Henry 0 2-2 2, Jaidyn Nichols 0 2-2 2, Totals 12 13-17 38.

3-point goals: SHS 1 (Sterling), SC 2 (Foley, Schoen)

Rebounds: SHS 27, SC 20

Fouls: SHS 16, SC 16

Junior varsity

Seymour 51, Silver Creek 25

Seymour (3-0): Emmy Munson 18, Sophie Skidmore 14, Kenzie Ganger 10, Emmy Followell 3, Abby Otte 2, Kennedy Burnette 2, Jada Miller 2