MAPLE PARK – Brooke Harner and her Kaneland basketball teammates emerged from the locker room looking more relieved than excited after a 44-37 overtime victory against Sycamore on Thursday night.

The Knights, considered one of the top contenders in the Northern Illinois Big 12 East, got all they could handle from a young Sycamore squad still trying to find its offensive identity.

The Spartans forced overtime with 0.1 seconds remaining when freshman center Taiya Hopkins converted one of two free throws, tying the score at 34. But Kaneland responded in extra time, scoring the first eight points of the overtime session and finishing with a seven-point win.