Down 15 points (55-40) at the end of the third period, coach John Davis’ Raiders battled back with 28 points in the fourth quarter to take Mooresville into overtime, then led by three points in the extra period before losing a thriller.

“You’ve got to wonder why you’re in that position to begin with,” said Davis of the 15-point deficit.

Reserve post player Maurice Torrence entered the game in that big fourth quarter and scored 10 points, while reserve guard Scott Beck added eight for the Raiders.

South tied the score with 31 seconds left in regulation when Beck drove the lane. After Casey Hill’s free throw put the Blue Devils ahead by one with 5.8 seconds to go, Beck rebounded his missed second try and was fouled. He hit the first of two free throws to tie it with 2.4 seconds left, then missed the second try. Justin Pini rebounded for Mooresville, and time ran out.

In overtime, Torrence’s basket with two minutes left gave South a 75-72 lead, then Mooresville took charge. The Blue Devils led 82-77 after Hill’s two free throws with 5.8 seconds to go. South’s Tore’ Girty hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer to cut the final margin to two.

“These kids in the fourth quarter played hard. The defense came around. We got a few turnovers. Offensively, we got a few things going that were working for us. The kids that were out on the court, they gave it everything that they had,” said Davis.

Beck led the Raiders with 20 points, while Girty scored 16, Argrett 14 and Torrence 13. Each player had a career high with Beck, Argrett and Torrence getting it in his second varsity game.

South, 1-1, defeated East Rowan 57-55 in its season opener on Monday.

Davis had praise for all his double-figure scorers, but gave credit to reserve point guard Nathan Kennedy for his performance.

“Nathan Kennedy didn’t have many points, but his leadership out there on the court defensively set us up into our offense. He did a great job for us,” said Davis.

Kennedy, a hustling junior playing his second varsity game, didn’t score, but led the Raiders in steals with five and assists with four. He also contributed four rebounds.

“My heart goes out to him. He gave us everything that he had. Stats just don’t show what that kid does out on the court,” said Davis.

Mooresville, playing its season opener, was led by Hill with 24 and Justin Pini with 20. Ray Gallahan and Darien Fish each had 12.

The Blue Devils, coached by Steve Mauney, had a strong inside and outside game. Pini and Gallahan did their scoring in close, while Hill (three) and Fish(two) combined for five 3-pointers.

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NOTES: Mooresville had a phenomenal shooting night for a season opener, going 28-for-50(56 percent) on field goals and 21-for-31 at the foul line. The Raiders were 30-for-79 (38 percent) from the floor and 15-for-27 on free throws. ... South, led by the 6-6 Argrett’s 13 rebounds, edged the Devils 43-38 on the boards. ... South, after 14 first-half turnovers, did an excellent job of protecting the ball the rest of the way. The Raiders had six turnovers in the second half and overtime, finishing with 20, while Mooresville lost the ball 29 times. ... The game started at 9:20 p.m., almost two hours late. It followed a jayvee doubleheader in which the boys game went overtime and the varsity girls game. ... South visits North Rowan Monday.

MOORESVILLE (82) — Gallahan 12, Pini 20, Hill 24, Alomia 1, Fish 12, Schneider 6, Winford 6, Horne, Sparks 1.

SOUTH ROWAN (80) — Argrett 14, Girty 16, Cook 2, King 6, Beck 20, Diggs 4, Daugherty 3, Childers, Kennedy, Faggart 2, Miller, Torrence 13.

Mooresville 17 16 22 13 14 — 82