But as coaches will tell you, adversity reveals character, and after Monday night, it’s pretty clear Silver Creek has a whole lot of character.

Behind an outstanding 34-point, 12-rebound performance from Ray Cortes and four clutch free throws in the final 20 seconds by Aidan Jamison, Silver Creek staved off the visiting Frewsburg Bears for a 68-63 victory in a Chautauqua-Cattaraugus Athletic Association East 1 Division game at Silver Creek High School.

“We played as a team today,” said Cortes. “Especially after the Randolph game, we wanted this one, for sure.”

“We needed that,” said Black Knights head coach Ralph Jackson. “A lot of us were obviously disappointed after our last game. We talked about how we were going to respond to that, and we faced a lot of adversity tonight.”

OBSERVER Photo by Braden Carmen Silver Creek’s John Steinwachs (10) defends against Frewsburg’s Connor Murray during Monday’s game in Silver Creek.

Silver Creek (4-1, 2-1) was in a physical battle all night long, as Frewsburg (2-2, 1-1) forced the Black Knights into early foul trouble in the backcourt. Silver Creek’s plan to get the ball in Cortes’ hands more than usual turned from a strategic plan to a necessity, as at one point the Black Knights were forced to play with four post players together on the floor because of foul trouble.

“We were in some very bad foul trouble throughout the first half,” said Jackson. ” … We finished the first half with four posts on the floor.”

Silver Creek managed only eight points in the third quarter after already trailing at the half 32-26. But as soon as the fourth quarter commenced, the Black Knights played like they were shot out of a cannon. Matt Woleben converted a three-point play on the opening possession to cut the deficit to seven points. Silver Creek slowly chipped away at the lead from there with tough, physical defense and plenty of points in the paint. After a pair of fast-break layups by Woleben, the Black Knights evened the score at 54-54 with 3:54 left to play.

“We just had to get a stop. We tell the kids ‘stop, score, stop.’ That’s what we’re trying to do to start a run,” said Jackson.

After Frewsburg re-gained the lead 61-58 with 2:36 left, Cortes was fouled on back-to-back possessions. He made the first two free throws to cut the deficit to just a point, then a flagrant foul was called against Frewsburg as an airborne defender crashed into Cortes from behind. He split the pair from the line to even the score at 61-61.

Cortes then drew a foul again for a third time within a minute of action and finished through the contact for the lead. After converting the three-point play, Silver Creek led 64-61 with 1:34 to go.

From that point on, Jamison delivered from the free-throw line to preserve the lead and clinch the victory. Frewsburg cut the Silver Creek lead to just a point and had the ball with a chance to tie the game on a 3-pointer, but the Silver Creek defense held strong.

“We got some good looks. We got to the free-throw line. Ray (Cortes) made some buckets down the stretch. Aidan (Jamison) 5 for 5 in the fourth quarter hitting those last four free throws in a row. … A lot of good things,” said Jackson.

Cortes managed double figures in three of the four quarters of the contest, along with a scoreless second quarter. He had 12 of the 18 Silver Creek points in the first quarter, 12 points of the 14 Silver Creek points in the third quarter, and 10 points in the final period of play.

“I knew I had to do something to bring us back. I wanted to win; everybody wants to win,” Cortes said. “This brings my confidence up, and it brings our team’s confidence up.”

Woleben had 11 points for the Black Knights, 7 of which came in the fourth quarter. Simon White had 10 points, seven rebounds and four steals, and Jamison had 7 points — all in the fourth quarter.

Gavin Smith led Frewsburg with 17 points, as four of the five Bears to score in the game reached double figures. Andrew LeBaron had 15 points along with 14 rebounds, Connor Murray had 15 points, and Zack Carr had 10 points. Smith and Murray also each had five assists.

“It’s always a good game against Frewsburg,” Cortes said. ” … We’re a really good team, they’re a really good team — hats off to them. It was a fun game.”

Silver Creek is back in action over the holiday break in a tournament at Westfield Academy Dec. 29-30. Frewsburg hosts its own tournament on Dec. 29-30.

FREWSBURG (63)

Brink 0 0 0, Carr 3 2 10, Smith 5 5 17, Spencer 0 0 0, Murray 5 4 15, Ramsey 2 0 6, LeBaron 6 3 15. Totals 21 14 63.

SILVER CREEK (66)

Parsell 0 0 0, Steinwachs 2 0 4, White 5 0 10, Jamison 1 5 7, Woleben 5 1 11, Miller 1 0 2, Kelly 0 0 0, Cortes 10 13 34. Totals 24 19 68.

3-point goals–Cortes.

Frewsburg 13 19 18 13 — 63

Silver Creek 17 9 14 26 — 68