Once Joe Hammond had the ball in his hands, he knew how the game would end.

With the final seconds ticking away, Hammond calmly banked in a 3-pointer from 30 feet out as the final horn sounded, securing a 73-70 victory over Redwood High in Tuesday’s showdown of the only two unbeaten teams in MCAL competition.

“I always love to have that last shot,” Hammond said. “There’s no pressure with no time left, because there’s nothing to lose.”

Marin Catholic head coach Mike Saia was probably ready to spit nails after 32 minutes of intense back-and-forth action in the second meeting this season between the rivals.

“I knew they had the momentum, and I wasn’t interested in playing another 4 minutes,” Saia said.

The Wildcats were supremely confident that the junior guard could deliver in the clutch.

“Joe Hammond is just the ultimate competitor,” Saia said. “He’s got the ultimate confidence in himself. If he wants to, he can take that winning shot.”

Marin Catholic took an 11-point lead into the fourth quarter, but four trips to the free-throw line and 3-pointers by Brennan Woodley and Leo Centeno had Redwood knocking on the door. A 3-pointer by Jake Ryan gave the Wildcats a moment’s respire, but Woodley answered with back-to-back baskets that cut the gap to two points with just 1:01 on the clock.

After Hammond missed a jumper in the key that could have sealed the win, Redwood’s Semetri Carr put back his own rebound on the other end to tie the game with only 14 seconds left to play.

“I went to the hoop looking for that shot. That’s all I was thinking about, getting the basket,” Carr said.

An energized crowd in the packed gym was bracing for overtime, but the Wildcats had had enough. Hammond took the inbounds pass and quickly found his mark as he set up for one last shot. This time he sank the basket when it mattered the most.

Hammond finished with 12 points for the Wildcats. Ryan scored a team-best 20 points and Oliver Myers followed with 18 points. Henry Dibble added 11 points.

“It was a good game. Marin Catholic did a great job,” said Redwood center Simon Leonard, who contributed six points and a strong defensive game.

The epic win leaves the Wildcats (11-11, 4-0 MCAL) alone atop the standings midway through the MCAL schedule. It also avenges a 59-54 loss to the Giants in a non-league contest on Jan. 11.

“(The win is amplified) because it is Redwood, which is one of the top dogs on the league,” Saia said. “We’re still at the halfway point to the season, so we can’t get overconfident. There’s too many good teams out there that are just like us.”

Carr led all scorers with 23 points, despite hitting only one basket from the field in the second half. The Wildcats sent Carr to the free-throw line six times in the second half, as he converted on 9 of 12 shots.

Woodley added 14 points and Noah Tanaka hit three 3-pointers en route to 12 points for the Giants (12-6, 3-1).

The game started as a high-octane drag race, with both teams pressing the gas pedal. Marin Catholic managed to nose ahead, stretching its lead to as much as five points midway through the second quarter.

The Giants found an extra gear during a 10-0 run during the next 3 minutes. Jake Post dropped in a layup and Carr hit a floater. When the teams took the court again after a timeout, Carr calmly hit a pair of 3-pointers for a five-point Giants lead. A layup by Hammond and a 3-pointer from the corner by Kelly Storms tied the game at 34 points each with a minute left in the first half.

“Oliver Myers got us off to a great start and Dibble really contributed,” Saia said. “Jake Ryan’s been playing well for us and Theo Pontes came off the bench and played well. And Dom Hammond on defense was picking (Carr) up and that’s his task and he embraces it. He is there for the challenge. We just got good minutes from everybody we put out there.”

The Wildcats got back to work after the break, spurred by Dibble and Myers during a seven-point run in the third quarter.

Marin Catholic built a 67-56 lead during the fourth quarter before Redwood strung together an 8-0 run to set up the game’s climax.

The Wildcats are getting used to pressure-packed games this season. Marin Catholic beat Archie Williams, 56-45, in the MCAL opener, then edged San Marin by four points and San Rafael by eight.

“You know, Redwood is good, Branson is good, Archie Williams is good. We have Terra Linda (13-7, 2-2 league) on Friday and they’re good. There are nine really good teams and there are no easy outs in this league,” Saia said.