The best way to bounce back from a disappointing defeat is with an exciting victory.

Ask coach Brady Ovitt and his fired-up team of Savage Heat after their heart-stopping 41-40 victory over rival Charlo in Hot Springs Saturday, completing an almost complete reversal of fortune after suffering a wrenching 66-21 loss to visiting Superior only four days earlier.

“Some locals were telling me that Hot Springs has not defeated Charlo in girls basketball since 2015 or 2016,” Ovitt, in his first year coaching at Hot Springs said. “We were glad to come out with the win, that’s for sure. It was a big one for us, to bounce back like that.”

Ovitt said the game was an intense affair from beginning to end. “Charlo went up by 11 points at one point in the third quarter,” he said, “but we kept chipping away and finally took the lead with only seven seconds left.”

Having a foul to give, the Heat used the foul on Charlo’s Brielle Zempel and sent the Lady Viking to the free throw line for two attempts with only :00.5 seconds left. To the Heat and their fans’ relief, Zempel missed both free throws to allow the Heat to hang on and win.

“It worked out in our favor, but the whole game was a battle,” Ovitt said. “It was good to see the girls respond like they did.”

Kara Christensen led the win over Charlo with 12 points, freshmen Eleanor Massey and Dakota Slonaker added eight apiece, Kora Hensrude seven, and Callie Cano and Mckenzie Johnson three each.

Zempel scored 16 points for Charlo Gigi Hawk 10.

In action leading up to Saturday’s landmark win over Charlo, the Heat defeated Two Eagle River 51-34 in Pablo Thursday. The Heat used a 23-12 win of the fourth quarter to finally pull away from the Eagles.

“The first three quarters of that game were a back and forth battle,” Ovitt said. “We finally managed to get some things going and pull away in the fourth.”

Christensen socred 19 points to pace the Heat, Hensrude added 10, Massey eight, Slonaker six, Johnson five and Cano three.

Dezalynn Lindquist had nine points for Two Eagle, Jodessa Dickson added eight and Lexie Sparks seven.

In the loss Tuesday to visiting Superior, Christensen scored 12 points, Massey and Cano four apiece, and Slonaker one.