It wasn’t pretty, but it was a win.

The Oak Harbor High School boys basketball team withstood a 15-2 Shorecrest run in the final four minutes to defeat the visiting Scots 51-44 Friday, Jan. 25, in a sloppy game.

Wildcat coach Mike Washington said, “We didn’t play well, but we won. Was it pretty? No. Was it a win? Yes.”

Oak Harbor will take the “W.” It helped the Wildcats (6-5, 10-8) remain one game up on Marysville Getchell (5-6, 7-11) in the battle for second place in the Wesco 3A North standings with two games left. The second-place team earns a home game in the first round of the playoffs.

Getchell comes to Oak Harbor at 7:15 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 30, but Oak Harbor can clinch second with a win at Marysville-Pilchuck (0-11, 0-18) Tuesday.

The Wildcats hold the tie breaker over Getchell.

In the win over the Wesco South’s Shorecrest (3-8, 9-9), Oak Harbor fell behind early but four points each by JoJo Webster and Drew Washington helped the Wildcats even the count at 10 at the end of the first quarter.

The teams combined to make only five hoops and three of 13 free throws in a shaky second quarter, and Oak Harbor managed to hold a 19-14 lead.

Webster scored eight points and Chris Hailer four in the third quarter and Oak Harbor entered the fourth up 34-26.

The lead grew to 15, 44-29, when Gabe Groenig dropped in a pair of free throws with 4:02 left.

Shorecrest rattled off eight straight points in less than 90 seconds thanks to Oak Harbor turnovers and earning second-chance opportunities with offensive rebounds.

Another pair of Oak Harbor turnovers helped the Scots continue to chip away, and it was 46-44 with 1:21 to play.

A missed layup cost Shorecrest the opportunity to tie.

Dayne Herron scored for Oak Harbor to make it 48-44 with 56 seconds remaining.

Three stops by Oak Harbor and hitting three of six free throws held off the Scots.

Shorecrest shot only 28 percent (14-for-50) for the game, to Oak Harbor’s 43.6 percent (17-for-39). The Wildcats’ percentage was bogged down by poor three-point shooting, 1-for-13 (7.7 percent). Oak Harbor shot 61.5 percent on two-pointers.

The Scots also struggled from long range, making only four of 26 (15.4 percent).

Shorecrest committed 25 fouls, 10 more than Oak Harbor, but the Wildcats failed to take advantage by making only half of 32 tries. The Scots were 12-for-21 at the line.

Shorecrest outscored the Wildcats 19-11 off turnovers though it committed two more, 19-17.

Webster guided Oak Harbor with 13 points, and Drew Washington and Dyllan Harris had 10 each. Hailer had eight points, Herron five and Groenig five.

Hailer and Groenig each grabbed seven rebounds.

Conin Oishi scored 20 points, 10 from the line, to lead Shorecrest. No other Scot had more than five points.