In a game that was meant to be a learning experience, the Doherty girls’ basketball team perfected the comeback finish.

Down by more than 10 points for much of the first half, the Spartans battled defensively and were almost perfect from the free-throw line in the second to earn a gritty 43-39 win over Ralston Valley in the first round of the Pikes Peak Tip Off Classic on Tuesday night.

Check out a slideshow of photos from the game.

A layup from Spartans guard Talia Cunningham evened the score at 39 with just over a minute on the clock, and it was Cunningham who gave Doherty its first lead since the game’s opening minutes. She was 2-for-2 from the free-throw line to make it 41-39 with 15 seconds remaining.

“I was nervous,” Cunningham said. “But I was confident in my shot and I knew I could make both of those. I also knew we needed those or we weren’t going to make it.”

Less than 9 seconds later, freshman Angela Vigil hit both free throws to give the Spartans the final margin. Doherty (1-0) shot better than 77 percent from the free-throw line, while the Mustangs (0-1) were just 2-for-11.

“In practice, the other players have started picking (Vigil) in tough situations when they know they need that shot,” Spartans coach Stephanie Leasure said. “She’s just a freshman, but she really came through in a pressure situation.”

This was the first outing for the Spartans, who are still working out some of the kinks before the conference season opens.

“We were a different team in the second half,” Leasure said. “We were missing some of the little baby shots earlier, the chip-ins and layups that you’ve got to have. We really just stepped up the defense after halftime.”

Doherty’s pair of 6-foot-3 post players, Taylor Simpson and Kelsey English, combined for six second-half blocks and four steals. The Spartans also limited the Mustang’s leading scorer Kelley Reeves to three points in the second half after she scored 14 in the first.

Simpson led Doherty with 15 points, while Vigil scored 14.

Doherty will host Douglas County at 7 p.m. Thursday in the second round of the tournament.

Doherty’s Angela Vigil, left, tried to knock the ball away from Ralston Valley’s Kendra Feldman during the fourth quarter Tuesday night at Doherty High School. The Spartans won 43-39 in the first round of the Pikes Peak Tip Off Classic. Photo by KEVIN KRECK, THE GAZETTE