They’re called free throws.

However, they can be worth their weight in gold ... or very costly at times.

The Boone Central Cardinals learned that lesson again this past week, with misfortune at the charity stripe playing a large part in an excruciating one-point loss to Battle Creek in the C1-8 Sub-District final in Albion.

Yes, there were certainly many factors that played a part in Battle Creek’s last-second 49-48 victory Thursday. Free throws are golden opportunities, however, and many times prove to be the decisive edge in close contests.

Triumph. Heartbreak. Fifteen feet of clear air the span of difference.

Boone Central seemed primed for success entering the C1-8 final ... home court advantage and a racous atmosphere, momentum with a string of 10 victories in 12 games - including a hard-fought three-point win over Battle Creek Jan. 26 and a solid 51-37 triumph over Ord in the postseason opener.

It never went smoothly for the Cards though. Boone lost power post Trent Patzel (6’8) to a knee injury in the first minute of play and struggled to find - and make - good shots against a scrappy Battle Creek zone defense. Even with a decided height advantage, when the Cardinals did get the ball inside, the Braves harrassed Boone shooters, knocking a number of balls loose and preventing easy conversions.

Boone Central’s season-long strength - defense - limited the Braves to just six second-period points, however, and helped the Cards forge a 28-19 halftime lead.

“Had a good first half and were able to get the ball inside on almost any possession against their 2-3 ... we were using our size down low to score over them,” Cardinal Coach Corey Thome commented. “Trent going out in the first minute was tough, but Ben (Reilly) and other guys stepped up, battled, and helped us settle in during the first half.”

Battle Creek (11-11) was not going away, scrapping back in the third period with shotmaking and defensive intensity, closing the gap to 42-40 entering the final stanza.

Eight minutes to play, everything on the line.

As throughout the contest, the fourth quarter was a back-and-forth dogfight. Battle Creek edged in front 44-42 midway through the quarter with an offensive rebound and basket and Boone responded, going up 46-44 on a Brant Benes drive with 3:00 to play.

The Cardinals rebounded a Battle Creek miss with 2:00 on the clock and, after going to a delay game, called time out with 1:08 remaining. Benes alertly saw a baseline opening and again drove to the basket to put the Cards up 48-44 and :44 on the clock.

That would be Boone’s final offensive punch, however. Battle Creek pulled within a deuce on a drive down the lane (:25.6) and was forced to foul with :17 remaining.

Two free throws. A chance for the Cardinals to all but seal the decision ... or at least make it much more difficult for Battle Creek to pull off a final miracle.

Two misses. A Battle Creek rebound and timeout. A loose ball recovered by the Braves after Boone broke up an inbounds pass (:07.8). Another Battle Creek timeout. A steal gamble by Boone Central near the top of the key on the ensuing inbound, missed by a fingernail. A 3-point rainbow by Battle Creek’s MJ Wragge. Swish ... :04.7 to play.

At that point, Boone Central called one timeout to set up an inbounds play of its own and, after entering the ball to the front court, another to set up a final shot attempt (:02.2). That chance was discombobulated by a Battle Creek deflection and a desperation heave from well beyond half court was well off target.

Heartbreak.

“Battle Creek started hitting some tough shots in the third quarter and made a run,” Thome said. “It was back and forth the whole fourth quarter ... in the end they just made a few plays and we weren’t able to get a good shot off at the end.

“Only gtting to the (foul) line four times, and not making any free throws, was tough on us as we always work to get to the line at least 10 times a game. They shot 60 percent from inside the arc and we were in the 40 percent range ... that was tough on us ... we did not get to the line as much as we would have liked on some possessions.”

Statistics showed the yin and yang of the contest. Battle Creek shot 56% on 2-point field goal attempts while Boone sank just 43%. The Cards did make two more 3-point tries (6-4) however. Boone outrebounded the smaller Braves 33-21, but was minus-6 in turnovers (15-9). Boone had more secondchance points (12-7), with Battle Creek leading points off turnovers (16-4) and transition points (9-0).

Free throws? Boone Central 0-of-4. Battle Creek 9-of-14. Nine crucial points in a game played on a razor’s edge.

Even with the heartbreaking result, Thome said there were positives in the experience.

“Awesome atmosphere for our kids ... very appreciative of the fan support. The kids battled until the very end and I’m super proud of them,” the Card coach praised. “These seniors helped establish a culture in our basketball program moving forward with the effort they showed in practice each day on and off the court. While it sucks right now, they helped in more ways than they realize as we move forward.” Battle Creek 13 6 19 11 49 Boone Central 12 16 12 8 48 B. Central Scoring: Lipker 10, Bra. Benes 9, Rasmussen 8, Reilly 6, Wiese 6, Borer 5, Christo 4. B. Central Rebound Leaders: Reilly 13, Wiese 6, Lipker 5. B. Central Assist Leaders: Christo 5, Borer 2, Bra. Benes 2. B. Central Steal Leaders: Reilly 2, Bra. Benes 2.

Boone Central (17-7) had reached the C1-8 final with a 51-37 victory over Ord (11-13) Feb. 20. The Cards overcame a sluggish first half and dominated in the second half, outscoring the Chanticleers 3117 in the third and fourth quarters.

“Ord got off to a fast start ... they got some buckets from their best player, Hinrichs. They have three players who have all scored over 20 points at times, so we knew if one or two got going they would make some runs,” Thome noted. “We settled in during the third period, were able to get some stops and scores put together and build a little cushion.

“Kind of the story of our season ... when we shot above 60 percent from 2-point range we won every game this year ... most of those shots for us were inside the paint. We shot 65 percent, so that was a big reason we won the game.”

That percentage prowess did not continue outside of the paint, however. Boone hit just 1-of-12 3-point attempts and, while getting to the free throw line 23 times in this game, they converted only 14 (61%).

Ord 10 10 9 8 37 Boone Central 9 11 16 15 51 B. Central Scoring: Reilly 12, Borer 11, Wiese 7, Bra. Benes 6, Patzel 6, Christo 5, Lipker 4. B. Central Rebound Leaders: Reilly 8, Patzel 8. B. Central Assist Leaders: Rasmussen 4, Bra. Benes 3. B. Central Steal Leaders: Patzel 2.