If coffee is for closers, then the Nodaway Valley boys basketball team deserves some coffee after closing out a hard-fought 56-47 win over Interstate 35 here on Tuesday in front of a packed house in the Creston High School gymnasium.

After Interstate 35 freshman Jaylan White knocked down a deep 3-pointer from the wing to cut Nodaway Valley’s lead to 44-42 with 5:00 to go in the fourth quarter, the Roadrunners had back-to-back possessions with good looks at 3-pointers — one that would have given I-35 a one-point lead, and the other that would have cut Nodaway Valley’s lead to one after a pair of Dean Frank free throws.

“I told them, they’re (NV) a great team, and you’ve got to hit your shots during the big moments,” Interstate 35 head coach Nate Rankin said. “It just didn’t seem like we hit those shots tonight. We had good looks.”