Staff photo / Brian Yauger McDonald freshman Madison Homa (12) puts up a shot during the first half of Tuesday’s game against Jackson-Milton at McDonald High School.

McDONALD — In the waning seconds of the third quarter, Jackson-Milton took back the lead in what had been a back-and-forth battle between the Blue Jays and McDonald.

The fourth quarter, however, belonged almost entirely to the Blue Devils.

McDonald controlled the final frame, taking down league rival Jackson-Milton, 52-43.

“We talked a lot about confidence (going into the fourth quarter),” first-year Blue Devils coach Tyler Kilbourne said. “Sometimes we are in our own heads. I think Julianna (Krumpak) struggled a little bit throughout the game, but when it comes to clutch time, she’s always there. That’s kind of a theme (for us). From her in the first game hitting a game-winning free throw after going 4-for-19 to this game. She’s always going to be there in clutch time.”

Krumpak and Cierra Shiley each had nine points. Gracie Callow led the team with 14.

The win pushes McDonald to 7-5 on the season and 2-3 in league play.

In Kilbourne’s first year with the program, the Blue Devils have been in the midst of a roller coaster. The Mahoning Valley Athletic Conference Scarlet Tier schedule has only gotten tougher as of late, and McDonald has gone through it.

Bringing senior Gianna Costantino back to the program after a two-year absence has softened the blow a little, as her leadership has been crucial to the program.

“It’s been so important,” Kilbourne said. “When we played Badger in one game and we went down after a tough loss to Mineral Ridge the night before, we came out and we were flat. I talked to her at halftime, I was like, ‘Hey, the reason I wanted you to come back out is to be a leader. These girls will follow you, and they’ll fight every step of the way. They just need someone to take that step.’ She’s fantastic.”

The Blue Jays (6-6, 2-3 MVAC-Scarlet) found success at the end of quarters, but struggled putting together a consistent eight minutes at a time.

“You’ve got to give effort. You’ve got to give that sustained effort for 32 minutes,” Jackson-Milton coach Jeff Wilson said. “That seems to be our issue at times. We’ll give really good 100% effort three minutes here, four minutes there. But it’s those lapses that, either offensively or defensively, that kind of cost us sometimes and let teams back in or let teams extend leads.”

Amani Yasin finished with a game-high 19 points for the Blue Jays.

“Amani is a leader by action more than words,” Wilson said. “I literally never have to ask her to work hard. I never have to ask her to give 100%. She never gives me any pushback on working hard. She’s a very easy kid to coach, and she has really started taking to the basket more, finishing strong and not fading off. I can’t say enough about her as a person.”

Jackson-Milton faces Lowellville on Friday, while McDonald hosts Campbell the same night.