LENA, Wis. — Natalie McNurlen got behind the Florence defense on an inbounds play and made a layup as the horn sounded, lifting Lena to 53-51 win in non-conference girls basketball here Thursday night.

Florence freshman Isabella Millan netted a game-high 26 points, draining 12 of 13 free throws in the game. Senior Lacey Enders chipped in 14 points and grabbed a team-high eight rebounds.

“The first half was back and forth, neither team was ahead by more than four or five points at any given time,” said Florence head coach Brad Perry.

“We were playing man to man defense in the first half, and the girls struggled with that tonight. We switched to zone defense in the second half, once Lena got ahead by 10 points,” Perry added.

Florence fought back and went on a scoring run of its own, taking a five-point lead.

Perry noted that the Wildcats played a “box and 1” defense, with McNurlen following Millan all over the floor the whole game.

Lena tied the game down the stretch, then eventually took a three-point lead. With 17 seconds remaining, Florence tied the game when Millan made a layup and got fouled, making the foul shot.

“Tonight’s loss is something we can learn from, letting a player behind us in the waning moments of the game,” Perry said.

Audrey Seldon, with six points, Leah Young with three and Abigail Price with two points rounded out the scoring for Florence.

Florence, who falls to 5-9 on the season, return to action tonight, traveling to Northern Lakes Conference power Crandon. The game will tip off at 7:15 p.m.

Florence 23 28 — 51

Lena 27 26 –53