ESCANABA — It has often been said it’s hard to beat the same team three times in a row.

The Bay College women accomplished that here Sunday, although just barely in a 55-52 triumph over Kankakee (Ill.) Community College. They had beaten the Cavaliers twice on the road prior to this match-up.

Sophomore Trish McGuire hit the game-winner on a 21-foot jump shot from the right wing with 14 seconds left to play before Bay’s defense secured the decision.

“I was very confident it would go in,” McGuire said of the game-winning shot. “Lauryn (Bloniarz) kicked the ball out, and I was able to hit the shot. It was a relief to see it go in. That made me realize we’re the same team as we were when this all started. Everyone is healthy, and we’re ready to go. We’re not worried about our record. We just need to go 100 percent. We have to go out and give our best effort.”

Bay (6-10) takes a two-game winning streak into their sub-regional opener against 10th-ranked Rochester (Minn.) Community & Technical College at home Wednesday at 7 p.m.

The Norse also defeated Highland Community College 68-67 at Freeport, Ill. Saturday.

“These were big wins for us,” said Bay coach Matt Gregory. “This absolutely gives us momentum going into the tournament. We definitely have to build off this and have two good practices. I think we have a great group going forward. Trish has been coming back from her finger injury and helping from both sides of the floor, and Lauryn has been stepping up a lot for us. She (Bloniarz) changes a lot of shots by playing disciplined defense.”

The Norse led the entire contest until the final 27.4 seconds when Brandi Hudson sank a pair of free throws to tie the score at 52.

Bay led 37-18 after a 22-foot jumper by McGuire midway through the third quarter.

The Norse still led 42-24 with three minutes left in the third before the Cavaliers finished their quarter with 13 unanswered points.

A lay-in by T’Laizha Harris brought the Cavaliers (8-7) within 44-37 heading into the fourth.

Bay pushed its lead back into double digits on a lay-in by sophomore Holly Wardynski, making it 50-40 with 4:13 remaining.

Following a free throw by freshman Sandra Boulton, the Cavaliers scored the next four points and pulled within 51-46 on a jumper from the lane by Mae Graffeo.

Rudyard graduate Cierra Molina split a pair of free throws to put Bay up 52-46 with 1:33 left to play.

Destiny Goodwin then scored on a lay-in, and Hudson drained a pair of gifters to bring Kankakee within 52-50 with 55 seconds remaining, setting the stage for a nail-biting finish.

Bay led 13-0 following a layup by Bloniarz with 1:25 left in the opening frame and 27-13 at halftime.

Coach Donny Denson wasn’t happy with the Cavaliers’ performance in the first half.

“I thought the girls disrespected our program by their actions and what they did,” he said. “We must have missed at least 10 layups. Our assistant coach Casey Meister took over the reins and spoke to the team at halftime. I wasn’t in the locker room. I don’t know what was said, but the girls responded and I think we finished in better standing.

“The Bay College girls played hard. You can tell their players are dedicated to what they’re trying to accomplish.”

Boulton and freshman Bree Arsenault led the Norse with nine points apiece. They hit 21-of-51 field goals and committed 21 turnovers.

Hudson led the Cavaliers with 26 points and nine rebounds, and Morris added 10 points. They finished 14-of-48 from the floor after shooting just 10 percent (2-of-20) in the first half and had 18 miscues.

Wardynski scored the go-ahead basket with 9.6 seconds left to play, and Bloniarz tapped a baseline pass to freshman Kennedy Englund to secure Saturday’s victory in Illinois.

McGuire scored 12 points. Boulton hit 11, and Bloniarz added 10 points and eight boards. Wardynski also had 10 points.

Kankakee CC 1 12 24 15 — 52

Bay College 13 14 17 11 — 55

Kankakee Community College — Morts 3, Primus 2, Hudson 26, Graffeo 2, Allen 5, Goodwin 4, Morris 10. FT: 22-25; F: 13; Fouled out: None; 3-point field goals: Allen, Morris.

Bay College — Molina 7, Wardynski 2, Mannor 6, Boulton 9, Bloniarz 8, McGuire 6, Arsenault 9, Englund 4, Olsen 4. FT: 6-11; F: 18; Fouled out: None; 3-point field goals: Arsenault 3, Mannor 2, McGuire 2.