LIVERMORE FALLS – Some misadventures with a duffel bag after practice Wednesday put Mountain Valley in a bind Thursday night, but the Falcons persevered.

Travis Ruff scored the game’s final five points from the free throw line as shorthanded Mountain Valley survived a 48-44 nail-biter with Livermore Falls.

The Falcons spent much of the night searching for their offense (31 percent shooting). They didn’t have much time to prepare for the loss of Matt Laubauskas, their top inside threat and rebounder, who tweaked a troublesome right shoulder lifting his duffel bag after Wednesday night’s practice.

Struggling from the perimeter for the balance of the game, the Falcons decided they needed to get the ball inside, so they put Travis Ruff and Cameron Kaubris, normally their biggest perimeter threats, on the low block and fed them the ball.

“We tried to put Travis Ruff and Cameron Kaubris in the post a little bit in the second half, see if we could get some offense going. The shots weren’t falling,” Mountain Valley coach Dave Gerrish said. “Livermore played an enthusiastic game. The kids just hit some foul shots there at the end and that was enough for us to win the game.”

Ruff (20 points, eight rebounds, three steals) drew a crowd and usually drew contact. He scored all 10 of his 12 second-half points from the free throw line.

“Normally, I play more perimeter or around the foul line. (Assistant) coach Andy Shorey has been working with me a lot on my low post moves and I’ve been up-faking, going up with the ball and drawing fouls,” Ruff said.

Ruff, who struggled from the line early, coolly sank a pair to give the Falcons (13-2) the lead for good with 1:37 left. The Andies took the clock down under a minute on their ensuing possession. Tom Ventrella, who scored all 10 of his points in the second half, got a good look at a 3-pointer that would have put them in front, but it rattled out.

Ruff rebounded, was fouled with 25 seconds to go, and made one of two from the stripe to make it a two-point game. Again, Ventrella got an open look on Livermore’s next possession, this time from nine feet to tie it, but that rimmed out. Cole Clark rebounded and got the ball to Ruff, who put the game away with two freebies with 10 seconds left.

“We had one time out left (on those last two possessions) and I’m thinking about whether to take it, but I figured we were rolling pretty good and I just wanted to let them play,” Andies coach Travis Magnusson said. “Tom was hot in the second half, he got a great look and it went in-and-out. I’m happy with the look we got.”

“The guys grew today,” he added. “But the thing that I’m happy about is they expected to win tonight. They’re not happy we lost by four.”

Livermore Falls (7-9) trailed for much of the first half, but Ventrella and Chandler White (23 points) came out firing to start the second half. The Andies shot 7-for-12 from the field in the third quarter and led by as much as six on a nice pass from Khyle Whittemore to a cutting Ryan Ames to make it 31-25.

Mountain Valley battled back within two heading into the fourth quarter, then Ruff started that period by drilling three of four from the line to start the see-saw. Livermore Falls tied it on Chandler’s third 3-pointer of the night, then took the lead when he followed it up with a short jumper.

Whittemore gave the Andies their last lead and final field goal to make it 44-43 with 2:26 remaining.

Livermore Falls shot 35 percent from the field, but missed its last five shots of the game.

“They played great halfcourt defense,” Magnusson said. “Everything we got was challenged. They’re tough and they’re physical.”