GRANBY - Entering the season, Tom Burke knew his Granby girls basketball team would be in for a battle once league play came around.

Just two games into the Rams' Bi-County Central schedule has already supported the idea.

Granby played its second straight in-league overtime game, falling to Ware 57-52 after the extra 4-minute period at home Thursday night.

"I told the girls, this is not the last game like this we are going to play," said Burke, whose team defeated Monson 52-50 in double overtime of the teams' Bi-County Central opener one week prior. "Our league is incredible this year."

Granby (8-2, 1-1) trailed by eight with 3:30 remaining in the fourth quarter. But Alyssa Boardway knocked down a 3-pointer and Brooke Labrie scored all six of her points in a row for a 9-0 run and a 44-43 lead with 1:50 left.

The teams traded the lead three more times as Opaul Morris forced a turnover and found Kara Rys open on the fast break to give the Indians (11-1, 2-0) a 47-46 lead with 30 seconds remaining.

Boardway drew a foul on the next possession with 9.2 seconds left and made one of two from the line to even the score and force overtime.

"It's good that we went into overtime. We fought to get back to tie it," Boardway said. "It was close and we tried our best. We played very well."

The teams opened the overtime period with matching 5-0 runs first by Ware and then by Granby. But the Indians got a basket underneath from Kaylie Robidoux (14 points) with 1:57 left and Sam Simons and Rys combined for three free throws in the closing 1:17 to ice the game.

"We weren't tired," sophomore Rebecca Sapoukey said. "They just made a couple of key plays and it went from there."

The first leg through the Bi-County Central wraps up next week as Granby heads to defending league champ Sabis (9-4, 1-1) on Jan. 24 and then hosts South Hadley (5-4, 1-1) on Jan. 27.

"Sabis is still very, very good," Burke said. "But South Hadley beat them and then Ware absolutely took (South Hadley) apart. It's going to be a battle every single night."

Boardway's 16 points on Thursday matched a career high, despite being forced to the bench with 4:07 left in the first quarter. She didn't return until the second half and the center showed off impressive range with three 3-pointers, the first three of her career.

"I've never made one before," she said. "Once the first one goes in, you find the right spot and it makes it easier."

In Boardway's absence, Sapoukey keyed the team's ability to keep the game close in the first half. Sapoukey finished with eight points, 13 rebounds and seven blocks.

"I knew I had to step up, play defense and offense and keep the team up," Sapoukey said. "It felt really good. We really wanted to win. Unfortunately, we couldn't."

Burke said he rarely plays Boardway and Sapoukey together simultaneously, but opted to do so down the stretch because both were playing so well.

"Rebecca did a great job. She really stepped up when we needed her," Boardway said. "This is the best game she's played yet and I really hope she continues to keep improving and playing as hard as she did today."

Meghan Sullivan added nine points, eight rebounds, four steals and three assists, while Labrie finished with five steals.

"I thought we got good looks, even late," Burke said. "We just couldn't finish after coming back. That's what we had to do against Monson, too."

Jim Pignatiello can be reached at jpignatiello@gazettenet.com.