VOORHEESVILLE — We’ve seen this basketball strategy many times before: Team that is trailing in final minutes starts fouling incessantly to try to extend the game.

This tactic can only work if the team getting fouled misses free throws while the team fouling makes some shots.

On Monday, Ravena almost got the fouling strategy to work completely, but Voorheesville made enough foul shots to win its Blackbird Invitational tournament, 54 to 48.

“It’s annoying, but we would do the same in that situation,” said Voorheesville’s Isaiah Meaux, who scored 15 points; he was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player. “Ravena wanted to freeze the clock so they could get some lucky shots and catch up. They did hit some ridiculous shots, so it worked somewhat.”

Voorheesville was ahead by 10 points, 50 to 40, with about one minute left in regulation play. Ravena made a three-pointer, and then sent Meaux to the foul line for a consecutive time after he had just made two. Meaux missed off the front end of the rim, and Michael Babcock made a floating three-pointer to get Ravena within four points, 50 to 46, with 29 seconds left.

Next, Sean Nolan went to the foul line for Voorheesville, and he missed as Chad Zeoli grabbed the rebound for Ravena, but he threw his pass out of bounds while falling backwards to give possession back to the Birds. Zeoli slammed his hands on the floor in disgust, and then Nolan went back to the foul line after being fouled underneath the basket; Nolan made both his free throws.

“Those two tough threes that they hit freaked me out a little,” said Voorheesville Head Coach David Burch. “It put us in that frantic state of play, but we kept composure.”

The Indians weren’t done. Babcock came up short on a three-pointer attempt, but Zeoli was there to save the ball from going out of bounds as he slapped the ball back to Logan Frangella, who made a lay-up to kept Ravena within four points.

However, Shane Parry sealed the Blackbirds’ victory by making both of his free throws at the end.

Meaux told The Enterprise that he doesn’t stress about free throws under pressure. “I just try to relax and take my time with it,” he said. “I don’t really think, just take a deep breath and look at the rim and go up with my follow through. I don’t think or listen to the crowd; I zone in on the hoop.”

^{_{Shane Parry spins the basketball in his fingers before taking a foul shot for Voorheesville during Monday’s game against Ravena. The Blackbirds won its host tournament, 54 to 48, by making key free throws down the stretch; Parry scored 11 points. The Enterprise — Jordan J. Michael}}

The fouling team is the momentum killer. Burch says that the fouling team is hopeful of the other team second-guessing itself. Fouling is the only option for a desperate team trying to somehow win.

“It’s so important, and these games mean so much,” Burch said; Voorheesville is 10-4 after beating Ravena again on Tuesday. “The pressure in on, and you try to make it as usual as possible, but it’s not.”

^{_{Scanning the court: The Voorheesville basketball team won its Blackbird Invitational tournament over the Martin Luther King holiday with victories over Greenville (80-41) on Saturday and Ravena (54-48) on Monday. Here, the Birds’ Alex Giordano looks to make a pass on Monday. Sean Nolan scored 13 points for Voorheesville. The Enterprise — Jordan J. Michael}}