Free throws are not the most exciting aspect of basketball, but they do make the difference between a win and a loss in crunch time.

Tooele boys basketball was clutch from the charity stripe Tuesday night nailing 10 of 12 while visiting Kearns made just one of nine, and that was the difference as the Buffs snuck out a 45-37 home victory over the Cougars.

Boone Baird led a balanced Tooele offensive attack with 13 points, while Tanner Stuart recorded a double-double with 11 points to go with his 11 rebounds and Jake Dalton rounded out the double-digit scoring with 10. Fatu Moala tied the game-high, as he poured in 13 points in the losing effort for Kearns.

The game started out as an back-and-forth affair while both teams were trying to get a feel for their opponents. With four lead changes within the first seven minutes of the game, momentum didn’t stick with either team.

A Dalton jumper near the baseline with 1:32 left in the first gave Tooele a slim 8-7 lead. But Kearns ended the quarter on a 5-3 run taking a 12-11 lead at the end of the first.

“We have a very poised and patient offense, but we also need to find areas to attack quicker with the ball,” said head coach Ray Brazier. “Our defense was hustling all game and they continue to be teachable.”

Offensively for Tooele, the second quarter was a different story. The Buffs got alot more comfortable in their offensive set and attacked the basket more. Dalton found his comfort zone, shooting two consecutive straight-away 3-pointers and a layup and a 3-pointer by Brock Haskell helped propel Tooele to an 11-2 run the last 6:21 of the half.

With the run the Buffs regrouping on offense they founds themselves with a five-point 22-17 half-time lead.

Although they almost didn’t get on the court in time for the second half, Kearns came out with a flurry of high percentage shots close to the basket. A fast-break layup by Toby Thacker capped a 6-0 run for the Cougars and gave them their first lead of the half at 23-22 just three minutes into the second half.

Sammy Sweat nailed a 3-pointer near the end of the third quarter for Kearns to give the Cougars a slight 29-28 edge over the Buffs.

Neither team came out strong in the final period. Tooele and Kearns both filled up the first three minutes of the quarter with a handful of turnovers and missed shots. But, Baird helped Tooele break out of its funk with a baseline reverse layup and then followed that up with a clutch 3-pointer.

A Stuart fast-break layup gave Tooele a 35-29 lead. From there the Buffaloes were mentally prepared to nail the clutch free throws while Kearns could not catch up with the Buffs, mostly due to missed free-throws and tough Tooele defense.

“We have great mental toughness on this team,” said Brazier. “That is what helped us make those tough free throws near the end.”

Coach Brazier also mentioned the play of Dalton and the poise he had running the offense from the point guard position. Along with Dalton, Brazier mentioned Matt Trussell for his heads-up defensive effort.

Tooele, now 2-0 so far in the young season, will host Bonneville Friday at 7 p.m.

Jake Gordon: jgordon@tooeletranscript.com