APTOS >> Nick Tovani got hot when it mattered most Thursday night.

When Aptos High’s boys basketball team needed someone to step up on offense, the senior guard was more than willing to be the difference maker. Tovani scored eight points in overtime, and the Mariners knocked off rival Santa Cruz 50-46 in their hard-fought Santa Cruz Coast Athletic League game.

“This was a half court, bareknuckle fight just every possession,” Mariners coach Brian Bowyer said. “It was a different win for us, and it was a great win.”

Tovani finished with a game-high 19 points to help the Mariners (14-4 overall, 4-0 SCCAL) take sole possession of the league lead.

“Nick in overtime, he was our guy,” Bowyer said. “All game, I was looking for somebody to break out, cause we were getting shots. And he broke out. We saw the ball go in once on that mid-range shot. And then we kinda ran a play to him to get the ball on the corner and he knocked it down. He just made the big shots, made free throws. Defensively, he played well. He was our go-to guy in overtime and it was great.”

Senior forward Isaiah Ackerman had 13 points and 17 rebounds for the Mariners, who improved to 14-1 in games where they’ve held their opponent to 50 points or less.

“Defense is huge,” Tovani said. “We only gave up 46 points in OT, so it’s always a big part. Defense is our brand and I think we showed that tonight.”

Aptos produced the solid start it desired. Ackerman and senior center Owen Warmerdam combined for 15 points in the first quarter to help the Mariners jump out to 20-11 lead.

But the Cardinals (9-9, 3-1) turned the table in the second quarter. Junior forward DeMarco Hunter opened scoring with a dunk and senior guard Mosiah Cumberbatch stepped on the gas by driving into the key multiple times and kicking out passes for great looks from long range. Guard L.J. Legan made a pair of 3-pointers, and junior guard Keyondre Randolph added a 3 — all on Cumberbatch assists — and Hunter made a layup during a 13-3 run that stretched into the third quarter and knotted the score at 24-all.

The teams were tied thee times in the third quarter, as the Mariners struggled to find success against the Cardinals’ zone defense.

“It was kinda a typical, ugly Aptos-Santa Cruz game where every shot was contested, everything was difficult. ” Bowyer said. “We jumped out to an early lead. They played man early and we were running our stuff well and getting good shots. And then they went to a zone and the zone slowed us up. We had a hard time making shots. I felt we were getting good shots on many possessions, they just weren’t falling for us. I knew they weren’t going to come out of it the way we were shooting ball. And, finally, at the end we started shooting the ball a little bit better and they came out of it.

“It was a well-played game, both teams. Santa Cruz played great. It was ugly and beautiful at the same time.”

Tovani, Demian Matlow, and Ryan Solorio made field goals during a 7-0 run for Aptos in the fourth, but the Cardinals’ Hunter and Guerande Houssin fueled a 9-0 run over the final 3;49 of regulation to knot the score, again. Hunter’s follow-up dunk with 1:38 on the clock tied the score at 41-all and the teams’ furious attempts to avoid overtime proved fruitless.

The Mariners regrouped ahead of overtime. Tovani took it upon himself to make sure he and his teammate went home a winner. He made a jumper, corner 3-pointer in front of his jubilant bench, and three free throws in overtime, which saw Aptos outscore the Cardinals 9-5.

“It feels great,” Tovani said. “Big team to get a win against. It’s always a super fun game when we play them, big crowd, high stakes. League is kinda on the line with them, so it’s always fun to play them.”

Hunter finished with 15 points and 12 rebounds for the Cardinals. He and Cumberbatch are the only two returning starters from Santa Cruz’s league and CIF NorCal Division III Regional championship team last season.

It was the first taste of the rivalry for three Cardinal newcomers, all transfers: Legan, Randolph, and Houssin.

“It was a good game between both teams,” Cardinals coach Lawan Milhouse said. “We came up short n OT. We have to do a better job at the start of games. Giving up 20 points in first quarter hurt us. We played well only giving up 21 the rest of regulation, but we have to do much better job finishing games. Giving up offensive boards the way we did and being sloppy with the ball on offense killed us. We don’t have much time to clean these things up. We have to get on it now, especially if we want to continue the season after league. But we get a shot at them again, at home. Can’t wait.”

The teams square off again in Santa Cruz on Feb. 6 at 7 p.m.