EASTON – Seems like Oliver Ames has a knack for last-minute decisions.

The No. 32 Tigers prevailed in a wild 54-51 boys basketball win over No. 33 Norwood (11-10) in a Division 2 preliminary round state tournament matchup after much angst before, during, and after the game.

Oliver Ames (7-14) originally was not included in the state tournament, despite making the cut based on their power rankings. The Tigers were removed by the MIAA after not completing the tournament entry process paperwork, but after an injunction on Monday at the Bristol County Superior Court reinstated Oliver Ames, the roller coaster ride continued in the three-point victory in the final seconds.

The court decision was made in the 23rd hour before the tournament started with some schools already headed to their preliminary matchups but in the end the hassle was worth it for Oliver Ames.

Head coach Eric MacKinnon put things in perspective seconds after the second major postseason victory for his team.

“It was a tough week – a real hard week, mostly for our student athletes who couldn’t grasp what was happening, nor should they have. But, luckily, we had a lot of support from some people to get us back to playing basketball,” said MacKinnon. “You want to host a playoff game and that was our goal. We have a ton of support from our students and our community and Easton is a basketball town and you could see that tonight.”

With 11. 3 second left to play, Jefferson Smock tipped in an offensive rebound to break the third tie in the final two-plus minutes of play for the 52-50 lead to shock the Mustangs down the stretch as the Tigers get another chance after facing elimination to face top-seeded Malden Catholic on Friday night.

Smock finished the game with 18 points and a whopping 24 rebounds to grab the double-double and steal the victory on the court for the Tigers for the second time in just over 48 hours.

“Most of us thought the season was over but big shout out to Norwood coming this far thinking they had a home game; just glad we got through as a family,” said Smock, who battled injuries this season along with the controversy that marred the regular-season end. “This is pretty satisfying, it feels good to win, but I think it’s better to win as a family and I couldn’t be prouder of my brothers and my team.”

Norwood trailed by as much as 13 points with 1:33 left in the third quarter as the Tigers extended their largest lead of the game. Senior captain Jake Willard buried both of his free throws for the 40-27 lead.

But Willard, who had the toughest assignment on defense of the game with Tri-Valley League MVP Matty Mahoney being physical all game, picked up his fourth foul the next time down the court on defense and Norwood took advantage.

Mahoney was just getting warmed up in the second half with 24 of his game-high 28 points in the final 16 minutes of play to get Norwood within one with back-to-back three pointers to start the final stanza.

Another long-range three-pointer from fellow senior captain Owen Desharnais late in the contest gave Norwood their first lead of the game, 46-44, as the Mustangs battled all the way back despite an uncharacteristic 19 turnovers.

But after Smock sent the packed Tigers’ house into a frenzy, Norwood had one more chance as Mahoney drove the lane and Willard sacrificed himself with the hard foul with 5.6 left in regulation as Mahoney had an easy layup lined up.

“I’ve been doing this a long time and I’ve never seen Matty Mahoney do what he did and carry a team the way he did,” said Norwood head coach Chris Fraioli. “He was the one to get the rock, but with that being said (Smock) had some huge rebounds, we know we are small, but a couple of their guys hit big shots as well, so I don’t want to take anything away from them.”

Mahoney went 1-of-2 from the line after being 11-of-12 overall in the game prior to the final two from the charity stripe. Mahoney missed the front end of the two-shot penalty.

“(Mahoney) is a great player and I respect him so much. He worked hard all game, so I really respect how he fought back for his team. I loved how the competitive spirit between us was there all game,” said Williard, who left the court to a rousing standing ovation. “Jeff goes down and makes a big play for us and that’s all we can ask for. You get five (fouls) for a reason and I was trying to compose myself, keep my hands off down to the end but he’s a tough player and finishes well. I had to put him on the line and take our chances.”

Oliver Ames’ Jake Willard goes up for a basket against Norwood’s Patrick Connell and Owen Desharnais in state tournament play Wednesday. (Chris Christo/Boston Herald)