It’s one thing to win at the buzzer. Today Tappan Zee won AFTER the buzzer.

Megan Curran, needing to hit a free throw to stave off a demoralizing OT period, sank a foul shot with no time left on the clock to beat Clarkstown North 46-45. It was sweet redemption for a Tappan Zee club that had crumbled over the last 1:16 without Theresa Pagnani. You never know what would have happened in overtime, but North would have had all the momentum.

It became a moot point as soon as Curran swished the second of two free throws. The game ended as soon as the ball passed through the rim. Even though she had missed the first — which also would have won the game — it was a clutch shot from a freshman with all the pressure in the world on her. As if the situation wasn’t hard enough, Curran was standing by herself on the court. The refs had waved everyone away because there was no time left. So there she stood, totally on an island, with everyone staring and the game in her hands.

To understand how she came to be there, I have to explain the final minutes. TZ led 45-40 when Pagnani picked up her fifth foul with 1:16 to go. Pagnani was playing great at that point, pulling down offensive rebounds galore. The battle down low between her and Danielle DeStaso was fun to watch. Without her, North came back to tie. Megan Weaver hit a 15-footer with 16 seconds left to tie it at 45-45. TZ ball. Meaghan Carley was bumped as she put up a floater with 7.5 seconds to go. She missed both free throws, the second one just barely. North’s Ilyse Schwartz got the rebound and tried to dribble free but was trapped in the corner. Seeing the clock winding down she tossed the ball toward a teammate at midcourt. Curran stepped in front, grabbed the pass, and took a couple dribbles. She banged into a Ram player while attempting a floater, earning the fateful trip to the line. The whistle came a split second before the final horn sounded.

Great game. Well played by both teams after halftime after an ugly first half. Tappan Zee earned its second big win in a row and rose to 11-4. Because North is in Class AA, this win will count extra when they do sectional seedings. Expect TZ to get a very high seed unless it completely falls apart from here.

North has to be disappointed. It went on a big run to start the second half and looked on the verge of blowing the game open. The Dutchies got a couple 3-point plays and were right back in it. TZ was pressing North during the fourth quarter, leading to several press break opportunities. But the Rams blew a few open layups and, toward the end, threw a bad pass when they had two girls standing alone at their end of the court. The biggest bright spot was DeStaso, a freshman who rebounded well against Pagnani.