PITTSFIELD – Heather Carter was nervous enough as the Mount View girls basketball team went into its game against Maine Central Institute Thursday night. Due to a rash of injuries, Carter had been elevated to an assistant captain position – and wasn’t quite sure of her role.

So it’s a good thing the junior forward figured out this leadership stuff when and where she did: 10 seconds left in a tied game, standing at the free-throw line with two chances.

Carter hit her shots – punctuating the first with a jump in the air – as the Mustangs of Thorndike overcame the Huskies 43-41 at Wright Gymnasium.

Carter, who finished with 17 points to help Mount View move to 4-2, said coach Shara MacDonald gave her a good talking-to before the game.

“[MacDonald] said I had to step it up,” Carter said. “She said I had to be the next team leader.”

Carter had eight points in the fourth quarter, and each basket and free throw seemed to have significance. Each touch seemed to be critical.

“She just has a nose for the ball and getting rebounds,” MacDonald said. “She had some great opportunities for us and she did a good job.”

The Huskies (3-5) had built a 37-29 lead at the end of the third quarter, but Carter whittled that down when she hit baskets on two straight possessions to open the fourth quarter.

After a timeout, a Mount View foul and an MCI turnover, she got the ball to Amy Miles for a hoop that made it 37-35. Later in the fourth quarter, with the Huskies up 41-39, she gathered in a Miles shot that missed the basket and put in the rebound to tie the game with 59 seconds left.

Carter was called for her fourth foul with 26 seconds to go, putting MCI senior forward Meredith Susi (14 points) on the line. Susi missed both free throws, but Carter helped cause a tie-up on the rebound that resulted in a jump-ball for Mount View with 20 seconds left.

The Mustangs worked the ball around to Carter, who was fouled and hit the winning free throws. When the Huskies got the ball back and down to their end, Ashley Currier missed a 3-pointer and the game ended with a battle for the rebound.

The Huskies played a mix of man and a match-up zone defense to stop Carter. That worked for three quarters as the Mustangs were unable to work the ball inside to her (Carter’s two field goals in the first half were a 3-pointer and a fast-break layup). In the fourth quarter MacDonald found a way around a half-court trap.

“They beat our defense a few times, got the ball inside, and everything came together for them,” MCI coach Frank McGrady said. “Carter stepped up and made those foul shots.”

MCI senior guard Jessica Thompson scored a team-high 17 points (nine in the first quarter and eight in the third). She scored five baskets on fast-break chances which, along with offense rebounds, was a big source of points for the Huskies.

“We talked at halftime about limiting them to one shot and I’m almost certain that we did that in the second half,” MacDonald said.

MUSTANGS 43, HUSKIES 41

Mount View (4-2) MCI (3-5)

Player G AG F AF TP Player G AG AF TP

Hunter 1 3 0 0 2 Littlefield 0 0

Miles 3 6 0 0 6 Lancaster 0 0

Barnard 2 10 0 0 4 Currier 0 5 0

Whitcomb 0 0 0 0 0 Thompson 8 15 1 2 17

Caler 1 5 1 3 4 George 2 6 4

York 1 4 0 0 2 Smith 1 6 1 3

Carter 6 13 4 5 17 Susi 7 16 14

Drummond 1 2 2 5 4 Cummings 1 13 1 2 3

Stevens 0 0 2 3 2 Fitts 0 0 0

Clements 1 1 0 1 2 Knox 0 0 0

Totals 16 44 9 17 43 Totals 19 62 10 41

Mount View 13 23 29 43

Maine Central Institute 13 25 37 41

3-pt. goals: Mount View (2-8): Caler 1-2, Carter 1-2, Barnard 0-4; MCI (0-3): Cummings 0-2, Currier 0-1

Attendance: 175 (est.)

Preliminary: Mount View JV 39-32