Freshmen are supposed to clean up after practice and cheer their teammates on from the bench. What Danielle Williams did Friday night showed a poise befitting a player beyond ninth grade.

Williams scored a team-high 15 points to help Mount Airy (10-4, 4-3) get past Northwest 1-A rival East Surry (11-2, 7-2), 49-47.

“She was very big for us,” Mount Airy coach Howard Mayo said. “She kept us in the ball game.”

Williams, a shooting guard, went from the proverbial goat to hero in a span of about ten seconds late in the deciding fourth quarter.

With the Bears clinging to a two-point lead, Williams bobbled a rebound and kicked the ball out of bounds. The ensuing possession allowed Autumn Cole’s layup to tie the score at 40-40.

“When I lost (the rebound) I felt like I let the whole team down,” Williams said.

It only took one play for Williams to regain her composure. On the very next trip down the court, the unflappable freshman took a pass and streaked down the right side for a layup that gave Mount Airy the lead. Williams’ poise impressed her coach.

“Instead of keeping her head down she moved on and made the play,” Mayo said.

The Cardinals led 13-8 after the first quarter and 25-17 by halftime. Williams’ two first-half 3-pointers were pivotal in that it helped keep East Surry from pulling away. The Bears can thank Williams’ father for that.

“My dad has been on me because last time I never shot,” Williams said, referring to the Bears 54-37 loss Jan. 7. “I was in the gym shooting all week.”

With the exception of some timely Mount Airy 3-pointers, the Cardinals controlled the first half with tough defense and gritty offense that resulted in extra chance opportunities.

“We dominated the first half,” East Surry coach Robert Smith said. “They dominated the second.”

What looked to be another Cardinal victory turned into a second-half shootout. Mount Airy kept up it’s 3-point assault to offset the bigger Cardinals’ defensive advantages inside.

“That’s our style,” Mayo said with a shrug. “If they give us an opportunity to shoot the 3, we’re gonna shoot.”

The Bears’ defense turned up the heat defensively in the second half to disorient East Surry. After Brittany Webster banked home a 3-pointer and Taylor Hiatt sank a pair of free throws to end the third quarter, the Bears were up 31-30.

Mount Airy stretched it’s lead to as many as eight, but the Cardinals still had some fight left. Lekita Shuff muscled in a shot to bring East Surry within one. The Cardinals were able to tie the game at 47-47 when Courtney Simmons hit two free throws with under a minute remaining to give her a game-high 21 points. Taylor Hiatt’s pair of free throws -- giving her team a 15-for-20 second half free throw tally-- on the Bears’ next possession put Mount Airy ahead with 8.1 seconds left, but the game still wasn’t over. Once Simmons missed a layup at the buzzer, Mount Airy was finally able to celebrate.

The fantastic finish wasn’t missed by many. So many people were in attendance that the fire marshall was forced to refuse entry to late comers.

MOUNT AIRY 49, EAST SURRY 47

East Surry 13 12 5 17 — 47

Mount Airy 8 9 12 20 — 49

EAST SURRY — Courtney Simmons 21, Kelsey Long 9, Lekita Shuff 8, Autumn Cole 2, Paige Honeycutt 4, Julianna Bullington 3

MOUNT AIRY — Jordan Hiatt 5, Taylor Hiatt 8, Andria Leonard 2, Brittany Webster 3, Ellie Case 8, Tosha Hargrave 2, Maggie McKee 6, Danielle Williams 15

Contact Ed Phillipps at ephillipps@mtairynews.com or 719-1921.