NEW BERLIN — Forward Erin Perkins scored the go-ahead basket late in the fourth quarter and grabbed 17 rebounds to lead Unatego over Unadilla Valley, 48-45, Wednesday.

Perkins' putback with 47 seconds left gave the Spartans a 46-45 lead in the Midstate Athletic Conference game.

Unatego (7-7) then made a steal on the ensuing possession and got the ball ahead to Jess Hendricks for a layup and a 48-45 lead. Hendricks scored a team-high 10 points.

The victory, however, came at a price for Unatego. Senior forward Rhonda Whitbeck re-injured her knee and had to be carried off the floor in the second quarter.

"We wanted to play for Rhonda," Perkins said of Whitbeck, who scored eight points before being injured early in the second quarter.

Whitbeck injured the knee shortly after her 3-pointer from the left wing tied the score at 14. She initially injured the knee early in the season and missed several games.

The Storm (8-6) took a 29-25 lead into halftime on the strength of 10 points from Crystal Petry in the second quarter. She found gaps in Unatego's zone, scoring from close range.

Unatego adjusted in the second half, switching to a 3-2 zone.

"We went to a 3-2 zone in the second half, and obviously that didn't give her the easy looks that she had in the first half," Spartans coach Steve Leahy said.

Unatego outscored UV, 13-5, in the third quarter to take a 38-34 lead.

"We shot 1 of 13 in the third quarter," Unadilla Valley coach Keith Pylinski said. "That's the game right there. You don't have to be much of a mathematician to figure that out."

A 5-0 spurt midway through the final period put Unatego ahead, 43-38. Jess Hendricks started the run with a jump shot. Paige Harris then made a driving layup and was fouled, and completed the three-point play.

But Lindsay Charles scored the next five points for UV, converting a putback and two layups to tie the score at 43.

Charles, who had a game-high 15 points, made a layup with about a minute to give the Storm a 45-44 lead.

That set up Perkins, whose 5-foot-11 frame came in handy on the putback.

"Well, she's our leading rebounder," Leahy said. "She's only a sophomore, but we expected her to do a job on the boards. That's what she's there for."

Unadilla Valley, which plays host to Deposit on Friday, had three chances in the final moments to tie the score, but misfired from 3-point range.

UNATEGO 48, UV 45

UNATEGO (7-7): Paige Harris 3 1-1 9, Lacey Herring 0 0-0 0, Jacqui Briguglio 1 1-2 3, Kate White 1 0-0 2, Anne Connor 1 2-2 4, Rhonda Whitbeck 3 0-0 8, Erin Perkins 3 2-2 8, Jess Hendricks 4 2-2 10, Kassie Struble 1 2-2 4. TOTALS: 17 10-11 48.

UNADILLA VALLEY (8-6): Kristin Lorence 0 0-0 0, Lindsay Charles 6 2-2 15, Ashley Foulds 0 0-0 0, Amanda Walling 5 3-4 14, Sara Gronwall 0 0-0 0, Sara Taranto 0 0-0 0, Shana Petry , Amber Barnes , Crystal Petry 6 2-3 14, Margo Brooks 1 0-0 2, Michelle Avolio 0 0-0 0, Rachel Ackley . TOTALS: 18 7-9 45.

Unatego 9 16 13 10 — 48

Unadilla Valley 14 15 5 11 — 45

Three-point field goals: U (Harris 2, Whitbeck 2); UV (Charles, Walling). JV score: Unatego, 57-48.