JONESVILLE, La. — Two of the three teams tied for first place in District 3-1A squared off Tuesday night as the Block Bears took on the St. Mary Tigers from Natchitoches, La.

But instead of a turnover or a game-winning shot being the difference, it was free throws. Or in Block’s case, lack of made free throws that allowed St. Mary to escape with a 62-58 come-from-behind victory.

“We lost it at the free-throw line. You can’t miss 15 free throws and expect to win a district game,” Block head coach K.G. Watkins said.

The game went back and forth between the two teams through the first three quarters. Block took a 13-10 lead after one quarter of play, but St. Mary held the Bears to just seven points in the second quarter en route to a 31-20 halftime lead.

But Block would not let the Tigers run away with a blowout win on its home court. Led by Fred Green and Preston Bowman, the Bears outscored the Tigers 19-11 in the third quarter to cut their lead to just three points, 42-39.

Green finished with 20 points while Bowman scored 17 points. However, St. Mary held off Block in the fourth quarter with a 20-19 advantage to improve to 18-7 overall and 6-1 in district play. The Tigers were led by Blake Teekel with a game-high 21 points and Derion Porchia with 14 points.

Block (9-11, 5-2) plays at Montgomery Friday night.

Vidalia 85, Marksville 83

VIDALIA — The Vidalia Vikings were able to overcome Kyren Ford’s 45 points and trouble at the free-throw line late in the game to defeat the Marksville Tigers Tuesday night to move into a first-place tie in District 3-3A.

“It was a big win. Hopefully, somebody will help us out, but we’ve got to take care of our own business,” Vidalia head coach Robert Sanders said.

The Vikings were up by six points in the closing minutes of the ball game and had an opportunity to expand their lead. But they missed their free throws, which allowed Marksville to stay in the game.

The Tigers cut the lead down to two points late in the game, but they didn’t have a chance for a last-second shot to either force overtime or win the game.

“There was a technical called on their coach after one of their players fouled out. We missed the free throws, but we got the ball out of bounds with six seconds left. We got fouled again. We missed them again, but we got the ball back and were able to run the clock out,” Sanders said.

Sanders said the keys to Vidalia’s win were defense and getting its inside game going. Having five players score in double figures didn’t hurt, either. Alvin Bell led the Vikings (12-10, 7-1) with 25 points while D.J. Polk scored 20 points. Jamon Duson added 14 points, Terrence Thompson ended up with 12 points and Brandon Bauchman chipped in with 10 points.

“We turned up our full-court pressure. We got a few steals, which led to some easy baskets. Most of our baskets were inside except for the few free throws we hit,” Sanders said.

As for Ford’s performance, Sanders said, “He hit three 3s. Most of (his points) were driving to the basket or free throws.”

Gabriel Alexander was the only other player for Marksville (14-10, 7-1) to score in double figures with 18 points.

There was also a strange call by one of the officials that left Sanders perplexed. Early in the fourth quarter, Duson hit a 3-pointer. While Duson was taking the shot, Bell was fouled by another Marksville player and should have gone to the line for two free throws given that Vidalia was in the double bonus. Instead, the referee who made the call gave the ball to Marksville.

Monterey 86,

Harrisonburg 36

HARRISONBURG, La. — Josh Chapman scored a game-high 21 points and Jacob Evans chipped in with 16 points as the Monterey Wolves got a much-needed win in District 6-B over the Harrisonburg Bulldogs Tuesday night.

Monterey (15-8, 2-3) took a 22-14 lead over Harrisonburg at the end of the first quarter before taking control of the game with a 14-4 advantage in the second quarter. The Wolves then put up 30 points in the fourth quarter.

Cole Fancher scored 14 points and Shawn McClenahan added 10 points for the Wolves. The Bulldogs were led by Austin Marceaux with 13 points and Troy Nugent with nine points.

Monterey hits the road to take on Glenmora Friday night.