This one was like a box of Cracker Jack: you didn’t know what prize was waiting inside.

Tamaqua spent what felt like an eternity Thursday night trying to track down a feisty, determined Pine Grove squad in a Schuylkill Girls Basketball League Division 1 contest. The offenses were offensive, to say the least, and it took four extra minutes — overtime — before the Blue Raiders finally found enough basketball to hand the Cardinals a 36-29 loss.

It was a huge win. Tamaqua improved to 8-3, and positioned itself for a potential No. 3 seed in the Schuylkill League playoff picture, while Pine Grove fell to 6-5 with three games remaining in the regular season.

The Blue Raiders travel to Minersville on Monday, host Panther Valley next Thursday, and then visit North Schuylkill a week from Monday. Both Minersville and North Schuylkill currently own 10-1 records.

Tamaqua can thank Leah Black — the kind of player who finds rebounds, has an innate feel for being in the right place at the right time, and possesses enough basketball savvy not to waste the moment. She set the tone immediately in overtime, taking the tip, zipping to the basket and giving the Raiders a lead they would not surrender.

“She is such a smart and heady player. We say she is an extension of our coaches on the court,” Tamaqua coach Erika Davis said.

Black dominated the extra session, collecting rebounds, battling her way to the foul line and scoring seven of her team-high 11 points in overtime. A true gamer, not to mention a real lifesaver.

“We know what it’s like to play in overtime,” Black said with a smile.

Indeed, Tamaqua has been there before. The Raiders had already played three overtime games this season, winning all three and allowing just two points in each.

“We obviously wanted to win it in regulation,” Black said. “But we said, ‘Just get us to overtime.’”

It nearly didn’t happen.

Pine Grove surged to a 23-13 lead with 4:34 left in the third quarter, burying seven 3-pointers to build a 10-point advantage. Meadow Umbenhauer drilled three triples during the run, while Callie Leffler knocked down two more.

“We stuck to our same game plan as we did the first time — we just wanted to pack it inside,” Pine Grove coach Allison Rizzo said. “We didn’t want Lauren Ligenza to get away, even Millie Black. In the first half we kept them to four offensive boards, and we were really happy.”

Then the momentum cracked.

Tamaqua began to freewheel, closing with an 8-2 run to pull within 25-21 after three quarters. The Raiders started winning the battle on the glass, pulling down six offensive rebounds in the stretch.

Still, Pine Grove refused to let go. Umbenhauer made a strong post move to push the lead to 27-23 with 4:45 left in regulation, and Tamaqua continued to struggle to score.

After Leah Black converted the back end of two free throws, sophomore Elaina Coleman rose up and delivered the biggest shot of her young career — a 3-pointer that tied the game.

“That’s what we want her in there for,” Davis said. Coleman earned the start with Kendle Miller sidelined by a sprained ankle.

Tamaqua never wavered in overtime. Leah Black scored inside, Makenna Ellington added a basket, and though Pine Grove answered once on a rebound bucket by Lacie Sampson with 1:48 left, the Raiders never slipped back.

Pine Grove misfired seven more times down the stretch. Black took control and carried Tamaqua across the finish line.

“Something about our girls — we like to play 36 minutes instead of 32,” Davis said. “We had two great days of practice, I felt confident our game plan was right, and we accepted the fact that we were going to win sloppy.”

QUOTABLE I ... “We’re missing shots that we shouldn’t (miss), we’re turning the ball over that we shouldn’t … foul shots, layups — we’re grinding with our heart and muscle. I’m so proud of our girls.” — Tamaqua coach Erika Davis

QUOTABLE II ... “We were pumped with the way we played in the first half. Then in the second half, we let them get too many opportunities.” — Pine Grove coach Allison Rizzo

ON COURSE ... Ligenza did her normal work inside with 10 points, despite being bottled up by Pine Grove’s aggressive defense.

BY THE NUMBERS ... Both Leah Black and Ligenza recorded double-doubles — Black with 11 points and 10 rebounds, Ligenza with 10 points and 12 boards. Millie Black added 11 rebounds and five steals.

PINE GROVE

K. Umbenhauer 1-0-0-2, Leffler 2-0-2-6, M. Umbenhauer 5-0-0-13, Heming 0-0-0-0, Fidler 2-0-0-6, Sampson 1-0-0-2. TOTALS: 11-0-2-29.

TAMAQUA

M. Black 2-2-4-6, Ellington 1-0-0-2, Bamford 1-0-0-2, Ligenza 3-4-9-10, Coleman 2-0-0-5, L. Black 3-5-9-11, Gormley 0-0-0-0. TOTALS: 12-11-22-36.

Pine Grove 3 11 11 2 2 - 29

Tamaqua 5 6 10 6 9 - 36

Three-pointers: Pine Grove - M. Umbenhauer 3, Leffler 2, Fidler 2; Tamaqua - Coleman 1.

Records: Pine Grove (11-7; 6-5); Tamaqua (13-4; 8-3).