With both Tooele and Grantsville basketball looking for an early season win against each other it was the defense that shined more than the offense in this low-scoring affair.

Both teams had leads in the fourth quarter with Grantsville leading 37-34 with three minutes remaining. Tooele fought back to take a lead of their own at 41-39 and had two free throws to seal the game.

The Buffaloes clanked both free throws to give the Cowboys one last chance. An open 3-point look by Dalen Erickson bounced off the rim but Grantsville had one last chance with 1 second left. Grantsville coach Shane Heath had his in-bounds play work to perfection with Caleb Nesbitt getting an open look at the win but the shot hit the front of the rim, giving Tooele a 41-39 victory Friday night on their own court.

“This was a good game for the players to build confidence in their teammates,” said Tooele basketball coach Ray Brazier. “Our players were happy after their first win but they also know that they gave up too many offensive rebounds to Grantsville.”

Jacob Holt led the Buffs with 10 points while Travis Brady contributed nine points of his own in the victory. Austin Cunliffe led all scorers with 12 points for the Cowboys with Josh Harrison close behind with nine points.

Grantsville started out scoring the first five points in the game with the help of a 3-pointer from Harrison. In fact, Harrison kept the Cowboys close in the first quarter with seven points in the period, including two 3-pointers.

Tooele did battle back in the first with their balanced attack and out-scored the Cowboys 13-5 in the final 5:15. Spencer Bunn led Tooele with four points in the quarter to give the Buffaloes a 13-10 lead after one.

“Unforced turnovers came back to hurt us,” said Grantsville basketball coach Shane Heath. “We got sloppy with the ball on a few possessions, but in a close game like this every possession is important.”

Both teams went back and forth in the second quarter but Tooele would not allow Grantsville to take the lead or tie the game. The Tooele balance continued with Wade Memmott, Holt and Brady each scoring four points in the quarter. Tooele extended their lead out at halftime to 27-20.

“Our defense looked good,” Brazier said. “We do need to get better in our half-court offense with our screening and waiting for the screens.”

Eli Hamm came out in the third quarter and helped get the Cowboys going. It all started with a 3-pointer for Hamm and a couple of additional buckets to give him seven of the nine Grantsville points in the quarter. The Cowboys narrowed the gap in the third quarter to 34-29 lead for the Buffs.

Grantsville shot out of the gates in the fourth quarter by scoring the first eight points to take their first lead since the first quarter. Cunliffe nailed two key 3-pointers while Nesbitt added a layup to give the Cowboys a 37-34 lead with 3:01 left in the game.

An offensive rebound by Bunn helped change the momentum for Tooele as he finished with a layup that started a 7-0 run to give the Buffs a 41-37 lead with 22.5 left in the game.

After Cunliffe added a layup to cut the Tooele lead down to two and put the Buffaloes to the foul line, Holt missed both free throws to give Grantsville a last shot, the ball ended in the hands of Erickson and narrowly missed. After the Erickson miss, the Cowboys were awarded a jump ball with one second remaining.

Grantsville executed the inbounds play to perfection as Nesbitt found himself open at the top of the 3-point line but came up just short on the game winner to give Tooele their first victory on the season.

After the game coach Brazier showed his admiration for his opponent. “We respect Grantsville and what they do,” Brazier said. “I am impressed with them (Grantsville) and their ability to drive to the basket.”

Tooele’s next home game will be Thursday against Snow Canyon at 7 p.m. while Grantsville will travel to Park City on Wednesday for a game at 7 p.m.

Jake Gordon: jgordon@tooeletranscript.com