Those who came out to cheer on the host team at the King’s Fork High School Christmas Tournament on Tuesday got quite a show and a happy ending.

Bulldogs junior forward Keith Stagg hit a three-pointer with 40 seconds remaining in regulation to force overtime, during which King’s Fork was able to secure a 73-70 win over Smithfield High School.

KF coach Josh Worrell said his team was “consistent enough to win” and later identified the deciding factor of the contest as the Bulldogs playing “better defense in the last four minutes of the game and the four minutes of overtime.”

The last time King’s Fork had been on the court prior to Tuesday, it went to double overtime and lost to host Deep Creek High School 70-67 on Dec. 19. Worrell said the Bulldogs’ first-half play in that game was terrible. But they at least fixed that issue against the Packers.

“We started out with a good intensity,” Worrell said, adding the Bulldogs went up 16-4.

But then Smithfield was able to rally and led by eight at halftime.

The Bulldogs made it close in the third quarter, but Smithfield recovered and led by nine going into the final period, where King’s Fork got some momentum.

“We started getting some stops, putting the ball in the hoop, making some free throws,” Worrell said.

Stagg hit the tying three-pointer with 40 seconds to go.

Worrell noted that shortly thereafter, Bulldogs freshman guard Rontre Pope grabbed the rebound of a Packers miss with six or seven seconds remaining, and the Bulldogs pushed the ball up the court.

“Keith shot a three to win the game in regulation and missed,” but not by much, Worrell said.

In overtime, King’s Fork got the tip and scored, but Smithfield put it behind again with a three-pointer.

“They’re a really quality basketball team,” Worrell said of the Packers.

The coach said the Bulldogs were able to go up by one, then three, and Smithfield started pressing offensively.

“Our defense started making them rush,” Worrell said.

King’s Fork got up by five points and was intent on running out the clock, but the Packers created a turnover and hit a three.

Bulldogs junior center Chris Roscoe was faced with two clutch free throws after being fouled with about 2.8 seconds to go, and he hit both, to create the 73-70 final score.

“Sometimes I think we make it too hard on ourselves, because we don’t stay focused mentally on what we need to do,” Worrell said. “To be a great team, you have to have that.”

Roscoe led the Bulldogs with 19 points and showed overall improvement in his game.

“He’s gotten better defensively,” Worrell said, and pointed out he avoided foul trouble, too. “He’s learning how to be better at that aspect to keep himself on the floor more.”

Pope continued to be a notable contributor, scoring 18 points.

“He doesn’t play like a freshman,” Worrell said. “He plays like he belongs. He plays in rhythm, he doesn’t force stuff.”

Stagg added 12 points.

Junior guard Deshaun Wethington saw his first action of the season while recovering from a football injury.

“He brought a little spark on the floor, and he actually scored seven points,” Worrell said.

King’s Fork (6-3, 2-0) continued its schedule in its Christmas tournament on Friday evening when it faced Menchville High School. The Bulldogs were set to conclude their tournament play on Saturday at either 6:30 p.m., if they lost to the Monarchs, or 8 p.m., if they defeated them.