Call it one of the biggest upsets of the year in area girls’ high school basketball.

A steal by Edwardsburg junior Mariah Murphy with 5.2 seconds remaining, and the Eddies clinging to a 47-44 lead, was just what they needed to finish off their come-from-behind 48-44 victory Tuesday night against St. Joseph in the opening round of the Class B District Tournament.

Murphy was fouled after the steal with just 3.7 seconds remaining and calmly sank one of two free throws to give Edwardsburg a four-point advantage and the victory.

The win for the Eddies was sweet redemption for the 75-59 drubbing they had taken earlier this season against the Bears.

“We were just trying not to let them get a three in,” Edwardsburg coach Nicole Cartwright said. “Mariah wasn’t supposed to leave (Christina) Valentine as she’d been knocking them down. She was close to her and that is what caused the turnover. She was playing tight defense.”

St. Joe jumped out to the early advantage as senior Katie Mavis took the opening tip and drove right to the basket for the first points of the game. The Bears would follow that up with two free throws from Lindsay Peirce and just like that the visitors were up 4-0 and looking to set the pace early.

Two minutes in and down 4-0, Edwardsburg finally got on the scoreboard as Sarah D’Amico would connect on one of two from the free throw line.

Nearly three minutes went by before either team would score again, which was clearly playing into the Eddies’ game plan to slow the game down and try to keep it close.

“We slowed the game down and made a concerned effort to get the ball in the post,” Cartwright said. “The girls got the job done.”

A basket by Murphy would make it 4-3, but Mavis would answer right back for the Bears making it 6-3. After a basket by Emily Kozinski for the Eddies cut the lead to 6-5, it was a great look by Kozinski to hit a cutting Ashley Streb for two that gave the Eddies their first lead of the night at 7-6.

The lead lasted long enough for Mavis to dribble the length of the court and score another basket to put the Bears back on top, where they would stay until the second half.

St. Joe held a slim 13-9 lead after the first eight minutes of play.

In the second period, Murphy would once again get things going for the Eddies as she would connect from the baseline to pull Edwardsburg within two, 13-11. But a three-point bomb from Lauren Brower killed any momentum the Eddies were trying to build.

Another basket by Mavis gave the Bears an 18-15 lead with just over 2:30 to play in the half and that seemed to be the turning point in the game.

Up to that point, Mavis, one of St. Joe’s leading scorers had scored eight of the 18 St. Joe points, while Rachel Vite, Edwardsburg’s leading scorer had yet to score for the Eddies. But four quick points by Vite in the last minute of the half cut the Bears’ lead to 23-21 at the break.

In the third period, a quick basket by Peirce put the Bears back up by four, 25-21 and that is when Vite took over the game for the Eddies. Vite would score nine points in the quarter, but counting the final four points of the second quarter Vite would score 13 of the Eddies’ 17 points that turned a 20-17 deficit into a 34-33 lead heading into the final eight minutes of play.

Both teams battled over the next five minutes of play and the Bears had a slim 38-37 lead. A basket and two free throws by Kozinski put the home team back on top 41-39.  St. Joe’s Valentine was only able to connect on one of two from the charity stripe and the Eddies were clinging to a 41-40 lead with just under two minutes remaining. After a timeout, Valentine would knock down her biggest basket of the night, a 3-pointer from the wing, giving the Bears the 43-41 lead.

Vite’s basket with 1:05 remaining tied the game at 43-43. After a turnover on St. Joe’s end of the floor, D’Amico was able to get out in front of the pack and she was scored and the foul. She sank the free ensuing throw giving the Eddies a 46-43 lead.

Both teams would get another free throw, and with the game 47-44 with 12.7 seconds left, Edwardsburg would call a timeout to set up its strategy and get Murphy back into the game, which led to the game-winning steal.

Vite led the way for the Eddies with 15 points, while Kozinski had 12, Streb 8, Murphy 7 and D’Amico 6.

Valentine led St. Joe with 11, Erika Priebe with 9. LeAnne Priebe and Mavis each finished with 8.

“There is no doubt these girls didn’t want their season to end,” Cartwright said. “Every time we step on the floor we think we can win the game, and tonight they believed it and made it happen.”

The Eddies will advance to play Dowagiac on Wednesday night, with the winner m

Lakeshore was a 61-26 winner over Berrien Springs in Monday’s first game.

ST. JOSEPH 44

Erika Priebe 4 1-3 9; Christina Valentine 5 1-4 11; LeAnne Priebe 2 3-4 8; Lindsay Peirce 1 3-6 5; Katie Mavis 4 0-1 8; Lauren Brower 1 0-0 3; Jasmine Williams 0 0-0 0; Haley Knuth 0 0-0 0. TOTALS: 17 8-18 44

EDWARDSBURG 48

Rachel Vite 5 5-6 15; Emily Kozinski 4 4-4 12; Hannah Hack 0 0-2 0; Sarah D’Amico 2 2-3 6; Ashley Streb 2 4-6 8; Mariah Murphy 3 1-4 7. TOTALS: 16 16-25 48

St. Joseph 13 23 33 44

Edwardsburg 9 21 34 48

3-point baskets: St. Joseph 5 (Valentine 3, L. Priebe, Brower), Edwardsburg 0. Total fouls: St. Joseph 20, Edwardsburg 15. Fouled out: None. Varsity records: St. Joseph 16-5, Edwardsburg 16-5