The ball clanked off the rim twice, and both times Schuylkill Haven found a way to secure the rebound.

But the third time proved to be the charm.

Schuylkill Haven guard Alan Evans was left unguarded to the right of the foul circle, grabbed the loose ball and quickly flicked up a 3-pointer that broke Marian’s back and lifted the Hurricanes to a 56-53 Schuylkill League victory on Tuesday.

The win keeps Schuylkill Haven in the chase for a league playoff berth. The Hurricanes improved to 7-3, a game ahead of Nativity and Williams Valley, while undefeated Tri-Valley is a lock for the top seed.

Marian fell to 4-6, and now turns its attention to the District 11 Class 2A tournament next month.

Evans was clearly the focal point of Marian’s defensive game plan. He scored just nine points, but the late 3-pointer was the dagger.

“We just lost track of him,” Marian coach Paul Brutto said. “For the most part, I thought we did a pretty good job on him.”

Evans’ winner came with 30 seconds remaining and capped a back-and-forth game that swung repeatedly throughout the night.

“He has such great touch with the ball, and knows where he is all the time on the court,” Schuylkill Haven coach Fran Murphy said. “His court awareness is so good. He was in the right place at the right time.”

Marian appeared to have seized momentum late in the first half. Jacob De La Cruz sank three free throws in the final seconds of the second quarter to give the Colts a 26-20 lead at the break.

Marian extended the advantage to 41-34 after three quarters behind balanced scoring.

When De La Cruz wasn’t finishing inside, Greg Tirpak was drilling shots from long range. Jimmy Cannon provided a spark off the bench and led the Colts with 12 points.

“Jimmy really has done a good job for us, coming off the bench,” Brutto said. “I thought we had some nice runs, but then we got sloppy and we let up on (defense) at the wrong time.”

Marian closed the third quarter on an 8-3 run. De La Cruz buried a 3-pointer as part of his 10-point night, Cannon made two free throws, Justin De La Cruz added one foul shot, and Jake Tom scored a basket. Schuylkill Haven’s lone response was a 3-pointer by Braydyn Diehl.

The Colts stretched the lead to 45-38 early in the fourth quarter on baskets by Yaniel Nunez and Justin De La Cruz, both set up by Tom.

Schuylkill Haven regrouped over the final 6:21. Marian’s defense softened, and the Hurricanes took advantage.

Brady Kelly fueled the rally, slicing through the defense for 11 of his game-high 17 points as Haven surged ahead 49-47.

Marian answered when Cannon pulled down an offensive rebound and scored on the putback to tie it at 49-49. Justin De La Cruz followed later with a basket to give the Colts a 53-51 edge.

That set the stage for Evans, who calmly buried the go-ahead 3-pointer.

“We finally found our footing, even though it was late, it matters the most… any time you can win at the other team’s gym, it’s a good thing,” Murphy said.

And not so good for the Colts.

FLIPPING SCRIPT ... Schuylkill Haven cut its turnovers from 12 in the first half to just three in the second. Murphy said that was the difference.

SLIPPING UP ... Marian suffered too many mental breakdowns in the fourth quarter. The Colts had control but couldn’t finish.

HE CAN SHOOT IT ... When Tirpak gets rolling, his 3-point shot is daunting and looks effortless.

BOTTOM LINE ... The game came down to free throws. Schuylkill Haven went 12-for-15, while Marian shot 6-for-8. Fewer chances made the difference.

SCHUYLKILL HAVEN

Kelly 7-2-3-17, Heim 6-3-4-16, Evans 3-2-2-9, Watcher 1-4-6-7, Diehl 2-0-0-5, Lucas 1-0-0-2, Shafe 0-0-0-0. TOTALS: 20-12-15-56.

MARIAN

Cannon 5-2-2-12, Tirpak 4-0-0-11, Ju De La Cruz 4-1-2-10, Ja. De La Cruz 3-3-4-10, Acosta 2-0-0-4, Nunez 2-0-0-4, Tom 1-0-0-2, Shigo 0-0-0-0. TOTALS: 21-6-8-53.

Sch. Haven 7 13 14 22 - 56

Marian 11 15 15 12 - 53

Three-pointers: Schuylkill Haven - Kelly 1, Evans 1, Watcher 1, Diehl 1; Marian - Tirpak 3, Ju. De La Cruz 1, Ja. De La Cruz 1.

Records: Schuylkill Haven (13-4; 7-3); Marian (7-9; 4-6).