After outscoring Lubbock Monterey 48-21 over the middle two quarters Tuesday to take a 55-36 lead into the final period, the Wylie boys basketball team appeared poised to cruise into Thanksgiving with a comfortable win over a former district rival.

As it would turn out, though, the Bulldogs would need a pair of clutch free throws and a big steal in the waning seconds to rally themselves for a thrilling 65-64 win at Bulldog Gym.

Led by Elijah Smothers, who scored nine of his team-high 22 points in the fourth quarter, the Plainsmen methodically erased a 22-point deficit over the games’ final 10 minutes and 15 seconds. But after watching the visitors take a one-point lead on a floater with 22.6 seconds remaining, Wylie’s Isaiah Carrillo was fouled with just under seven seconds left and sank two high-pressure free throws to give his team an edge it would protect with a steal on the other end.