HIGHLAND, Kan. - For the second time in as many games, a last-second defensive play delivered a win for Highland (11-5), this time an 88-82 overtime win over Western Iowa Tech (6-11) on Monday. Adriel Smith picked up a huge block on the final Comets possession and scored four of Highland's final six points and Tavian Tate led all scorers with 28 points in the victory.

The opening three minutes of the contest was a back-and-forth battle, with Highland eventually seizing control with a 17-5 run. Back-to-back layups by Tate off Smith assists peaked the Scottie surge with just over 13 minutes on the clock.

Western Iowa Tech finally found its footing heading into the under-8 media timeout, as Caleb Kawela singlehandedly brought the Comets from a three-possession deficit to a 43-35 halftime lead, scoring 19 of WIT's 31 points over an 11-minute span.

Highland whittled the Comets lead down 54-52 by the 13:12 mark before Western Iowa rebounded by bookending three-point baskets by Rashard White and Zeb Svoboda around an Isaiah Lloyd layup. The Scotties kept up the pressure, however, with a Tate three-point play putting HCC in front 71-69 with 2:44 to play.

Tate leveled the game at 74-74 with just over 30 seconds on the clock, putting the onus on Highland's defense to hold strong. The Scotties kept Kawela from making an easy layup, but the ball stayed in the hands of the Comets as the miss clattered off an HCC player and out of bounds.

Smith was able to find a way through traffic and knock the second-chance attempt by Terance Pittman away from the basket and into the hands of Colton Knoll.

Knoll was big in the extra frame for Highland, knocking down a triple with 3:45 on the clock to put the Scotties up 78-76 and finding EJ Coleman open for a layup for a 80-79 HCC lead with 1:40 to play. HCC scored 10 straight points before a consolation triple from Lloyd.

The Scotties are set to open Jayhawk Conference action on Wednesday, hosting Johnson County Community College.