ZEPHYR COVE – Alex Tyler took a last look from about 20 feet out. It was a long shot, but so was the 12-point deficit the Lakers overcame after the first quarter.

Tyler glanced at the clock, 4 seconds, and made a decision. His 3-point launch from the top of the key sailed in, and with it North Tahoe pulled off a 63-62 come-from-behind win at Whittell on Saturday.

Tyler, and the rest of the Lakers, started hitting those long shots in the second quarter of the Mount Rose League contest. They were down 21-9 headed into the second quarter, and with the Warriors hitting their perimeter shots early on, the game was slipping dangerously out of reach. Whittell senior Austin Neil and freshman Palmer Chaplin charged through the first quarter, exchanging 3-pointers and converting North Tahoe turnovers.

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The Lakers were warmed up by the second quarter, though, and they started chipping away for the next three quarters.

Colin Spencer put up eight of the Lakers’ final 10 points before halftime, cutting the Warriors’ lead to 36-28.

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“We’re back in this,” said North Tahoe coach Frank Wright as the boys headed off the court at halftime.

North Tahoe held onto the momentum into the second half as Whittell started to sputter.

“We had over 30 turnovers and were out-rebounded, and that’s where games are won and lost,” Whittell coach Phil Bryant said.

Tyler and Noah McDermott were a big part of those turnovers. They grabbed back-to-back steals in the third quarter and gave Spencer some help on the offensive front.

The Lakers steadily continued to outscore Whittell in the third and fourth quarters, tying the game twice in the fourth quarter.

Whittell’s Garrett Bronken busted up a 60-60 tie at the free-throw line, but there was still 38 seconds on the clock.

It turned out to be plenty of time for Tyler, who finished with 22 points in the game. Spencer posted 24 points and 10 rebounds and Mitchell Myers had 12 points.

By the time the North Tahoe girls found their shot, it was too late. North Tahoe outscored Whittell 10-5 in the fourth quarter, but three sluggish quarters that preceded that could not be erased.

North Tahoe dropped its Mount Rose League game against Whittell, 37-24, on the road Saturday.

“We usually come out pretty hard all four quarters, but we played Truckee last night, and that doesn’t help,” North Tahoe coach Rick Buhler said. “It’s tough to play back-to-back, but that’s just the reality of it. We’re a far better basketball team than how we played today.”

The Warriors built a comfortable 22-9 lead in the first half as their leading scorer, Amanda Harris, knocked down wing shots with authority.

Taylor Briggs and Liz Buhler picked up the momentum for the Lakers in the second half, but it was too little too late.

“Those two stood out, and picked up the slack for the other girls who weren’t playing that hard,” coach Buhler said. “There was definitely something in the water today that wasn’t good for us.”