HERMANSVILLE — Late success from the free throw line made the difference for the Hermansville BAE Message women in a 49-40 basketball triumph over Powers Viau, Inc. in the championship contest of the 86th Annual Gold Medal Classic tournament here Sunday.

Neither team led by more than five points until the final 47.3 seconds when BAE secured the decision by hitting 5-of-6 gifters.

“I’m glad we were hitting those in the end,” former Lakeland and Bay College cager and Powers North Central graduate Bree Arsenault said. “We had a lot of low scoring games here today. We were trying to switch everything and I think it kept them a little off balance. This is a little different from college ball. It’s a lot rougher. I think it helped to bring my (former) teammates up here. That gave us a chance to bond.”

BAE was clinging to a 42-40 lead with 1:40 left in this match-up before finishing with seven unanswered points.

“It seemed like it was a tie game the whole time,” Bark River-Harris senior and women’s Outstanding Player Lauren Zawada said. “Once it became a two-possession game we had to foul. I was real happy with our team. It was really fun playing with my future teammates. I definitely want to come back here next year. This is a lot rougher than high school ball. The game officials were consistent. They just let us play.”

Zawada, who gave Viau’s a 14-12 halftime lead with a putback from the boulevard, will play at Bay College next season. She finished with 15 points and Alexis Johnson led BAE with 10.

BAE edged Trenary Toast 36-30 in the semifinals. Julia Wickstrom scored eight points for BAE and Brooke LaPlant hit 21 for Trenary.

Viau’s defeated Trenary 61-52 in Sunday’s opener. North Central senior Gracie Kleikamp led Viau’s with 17 points. Menominee senior Anna Axtell hit 16 and Zawada had 14.

BAE then edged Carney 45-42. Alexis Johnson led the way with 16 points and Kaitlyn Hardwick added 10. Shae Linder scored 25 for Carney.

Zawada poured in 31 points in Viau’s 73-45 conquest of Carney. Axtell tossed in 20 and Kleikamp scored 13. Tessa Cocco had nine for Carney.

Cara Zawacki tossed in 29 points, leading Perronville Bloniarz Farms past Carney Shelby’;s Quick Mart 68-56 in Saturday’s opener. Kily Bloniarz added 12 and Tiffany Wangerin tallied 11. Ashlyn Bal hit 15 for Shelby’s.

Zawada hit 19 points as Viau’s squeezed past BAE 54-53 in the following contest. Axtell added 12 and West Iron County senior Danica Shamion scored 10. Arsenault had 13 for BAE.

LaPlant and Workman hit 18 points each as Trenary Toast beat Bloniarz Farms 58-39.

BAE then topped Bloniarz Farms 49-44. Johnson hit 20 points and Wickman tossed in 11. Wangerin paced Bloniarz with 23.

Carney salvaged a victory over Shelby’s Quick Mart 48-44. Linder led with 17 points and Jennie Polfus added 11. Emma Copley scored 19 and Carney-Nadeau senior Kelsie Smith finished with 11.