COQUILLE — In what is expected to be a tight race for the Sunset Conference boys basketball tournament spots, any win over a contender is a big one, especially a victory that comes on the road.

That explains Reedsport’s excitement after beating host Coquille 57-51 in overtime in the league opener Tuesday.

“It’s a huge win,” said Reedsport coach James Hixenbaugh. “You want to start off on top.”

The Braves used clutch free throw shooting and tough pressure defense in the final minutes to rally to force overtime and then finish off the Red Devils.

Coquille led 45-40 late in regulation after Heston Altenbach hit four straight free throws and made a driving layup after a steal by teammate Joseph Savala.

But the Braves didn’t panic.

Brice Young hit a rebound basket and Jason Fishel tied the game with a 3-pointer after a turnover. The teams traded layins and Reedsport had one last chance, but couldn’t get a shot off before the buzzer.

The score was tied twice in overtime before Fishel gave the Braves the lead for good with a drive to the hoop. He stretched the lead to three points with a free throw with 37 seconds remaining and Cody Savey hit an insurance free throw 17 seconds later. After another Coquille miss, Sean Horton clinched the victory with two more free throws.

The charity stripe was the deciding factor in the game.

Reedsport finished 19-for-31 from the foul line.

“The difference was free throws,” Fishel said. “We took care of the ball and made our free throws.”

Coquille couldn’t say the same.

Altenbach’s four late free throws were the anomaly. The team shot just 6-for-15 from the line during the game.

“We’ve got to make some kind of shots to win a ballgame,” Coquille coach Dan Cumberland said. “You can’t win on hustle and effort all the way.

“You can’t fault the kids for effort. They did work hard.”

Coquille led most of the first half before the Braves finished the second quarter on an 11-2 run, sparked by defense and a timely 3-pointer from Savey.

The Red Devils bounced back to go up 37-31 on a 3-pointer by Altenbach — Coquille’s lone trey of the game — late in the third quarter.

Altenbach’s fourth-quarter surge helped him to a team-high 16 points and gave the Red Devils the lead, but they couldn’t hold on, missing a number of shots near the hoop.

“We were missing easy shots — that’s been it for the year,” Cumberland said.

Meanwhile, Reedsport did what it had to to rally late.

Fishel admitted he was nervous facing the late deficit, but had confidence in his teammates.

“Our press worked great,” he said. “We had a lot of steals. We hustled. That’s what it was.”

Hixenbaugh said the press has been an effective weapon for his team.

“We’re not tall,” he said. “We’ve got to take advantage of our quickness, put pressure on the ball and make them make mistakes.”

Reedsport actually finished with more turnovers — 22 to 20 — and Coquille had one more steal — 14 to 13 — but Reedsport’s defensive takeaways came at bigger times.

They helped the Braves win despite shooting just 17-for-48 from the floor in the game. Coquille was slightly better at 22-for-58.

Fishel finished with a game-high 20 points and made three 3-pointers in the second half. He also had three assists and four steals and made several big plays late.

“That’s Jason,” Hixenbaugh said. “You want the ball in his hands.”

Savey and Young added 10 points each for the Braves. Ismael Osorio, Reedpsort’s one tall, intimidating player inside, finished with 14 rebounds and altered many Coquille shots during the game. Young added eight rebounds as the Braves had a 43-31 edge on the boards.

In addition to Altenbach’s offensive punch for Coquille, Brandon Sampson added 10 points and Savala eight.