ALLENDALE – The Fruitport boys basketball team came into Tuesday’s game with a nice little winning streak, and the Trojans were determined to keep it alive.

They gave it everything they had down the stretch, and it proved to be just enough, overcoming an eight-point deficit to start the fourth quarter to pick up a 47-45 O-K Blue conference victory over Allendale on the road.

With the score 45-44 in favor of Fruitport with just 8.5 seconds remaining, senior point guard Bode Anspach stepped up to the line and capped off a 10-point fourth quarter with two free throws to clinch the win.

Fruitport, 5-2 overall and 4-0 in conference play, has now won four straight games.

“It was a really big win,” said Fruitport coach Steve Erny about the fight his team displayed. “I told the guys a second ago that we were 0-6 in games decided by 10 or less last season. We were also 0-2 on the road so far this year, and for us to be down 10 in the third quarter and to weather the storm feels like a big win.”

Part of what sparked the Trojan comeback was a full court press that helped create eight Allendale turnovers in the fourth quarter.

“I feel like the press made a big difference,” Anspach said about the momentum changing with the pressure defense. “All the turnovers we got, the energy switched, and we went from there.”

Anspach led the Trojans with 18 points on the night while sophomore Grade Anspach added 10.

“He’s huge for us,” Erny said about Bode Anspach. “He’s our leading scorer and our point guard. For a guy to have to initiate offense and create is special. I think his confidence is high because he’s shooting a high percentage.”

The Trojans led 12-10 at the end of the first quarter after five different Trojans scored in the opening eight minutes.

The teams went to the locker room at halftime with the score tied 22-22 after Allendale won the quarter 12-10.

In the third quarter, Fruitport struggled to score and turned the ball over four times. Allendale outscored the Trojans 15-7 and took a 37-29 lead into the fourth.

But the Trojans pulled themselves together when they had to, going on a 7-0 run in the first 56 seconds of the fourth to cut their deficit to 37-36.

Bode Anspach nailed three-pointer with 5:14 remaining, giving Fruitport a 39-37 lead, before Allendale tied the game at 39-39 with 4:41 left.

With 4:11 remaining, Grade Anspach hit a three-pointer to give his team a 42-39 lead that the Trojans never relinquished.

“We’re hungry,” said Bode Anspach, whose team is now 5-2 overall and 2-0 in conference play. “We’re going to keep it going and see what we can do.”