HILLMAN - Feb 26, 2010 - When all is said and done, both Hillman and Hale will have North Star League boys basketball championship trophies added to their collection.

But after Hillman held on to edge Hale 53-49 before a packed house Friday, it was the Tigers who were celebrating and cutting down their homecourt nets, while the Eagles regrouped in the locker room after having a 33-game North Star League win streak snapped.

Hillman led throughout the second half, but Hale stubbornly kept it close. The Eagles rallied from a 35-26 deficit late in the third quarter to tie it up twice in the fourth , then nearly pulled a rabbit out of the proverbial hat after cutting an eight point deficit with 30 seconds left down to two before Ryan Banks sealed it at the free throw line.

"Wow, what a game," said Hillman coach Eric Muszynski. "We knew it would be like that. I'm so proud of the guys for the way they played.

"Beating Hale gets a big monkey off our backs. We haven't beaten them since I've been here. To share the title with such a great team, I couldn't be prouder."

Hale coach Ryan Parkinson said it was hard to be too disappointed.

"We're a bit sad, yeah, but not disappointed," he said. "Hillman played a very, very good basketball game, and we couldn't withstand our foul trouble in the third quarter. Our guys left it out on the floor as best they could. They attacked and kept going at them."

Hale's depth was tested, too, as Christian Moody -- injured in Tuesday's game with Oscoda -- was on the bench with a set of crutches. Brenden O'Dell, Zach Kusterer and Eddy Cadwell filled in defensively, and Evan Caverly hit  three 3-pointers to offset Moody's loss.

Foul trouble to Ben Katterman and Christian Mudry, though, was another matter. Mudry picked up his third foul in the waning seconds of the second quarter and Katterman collected his third foul early in the third quarter. Jonathon Robinson and Devon Shumaker were only too happy to take advantage inside, and Andy Smith capped a 15-5 run with a long 3-pointer that had it looking like the Tigers would pull away.

"The first time we played we weren't able to take advantage of their foul trouble," Muszynski said. "This time we did. I also thought we did a better job of denying Mudry and Katterman in the post."

The Eagles comeback started with a Katterman three-point play right after Smith gave Hillman it's nine-point lead, and was capped by a Tanner Shellenbarger trey that made it 37-37.

Hillman snapped a 41-41 tie with an 8-0 run that included baskets by Shumaker and Robinson followed by free throws from Banks and Smith, the final ones giving the Tigers a 49-41 lead with 40 seconds left.

Hale wasn't done yet. Mudry scored a rebound basket plus one with 30 seconds left, and after a missed Hillman free throw, Katterman banked a trey off the glass to cut it to 49-47.

"That last 30 seconds took an eternity," Muszynski said. "After that '3' you had to start wondering if it was going to be our night."

Banks made sure the game and a share of the league title didn't get away, hitting two charity shots with 14 seconds left and two more at 0.8 seconds to seal it.

Robinson led all scorers with 15 points with Shumaker adding 13 for the Tigers, while Mudry and Katterman each scored 14 for Hale.

The Tigers (17-1, 13-1 NSL) and Eagles (16-2, 13-1) could play again in two weeks if they both reach their district title game at Hale.

"We both have business to take care of first," Muszynski said. "But that would be quite a game if it happens."