The weather outside Jim Thorpe High School was well below freezing on Saturday afternoon.

But inside the gym, the atmosphere was heating up as two girls basketball teams ranked in the state’s top 10 stood toe-to-toe before a capacity crowd.

The hype before the tip-off didn’t disappoint as Dunmore edged the Olympians, 49-45, in a game in which the outcome was still in question during the entire fourth period.

With 5:50 left to play, Thorpe’s Skyler Searfoss pulled up for a jumper inside the key to bring the Lady O’s within one at 39-38, but Dunmore’s 6-4 forward - Ciara Toomey - converted on a putback to return her team’s leading margin to three points 40 seconds later.

In a game that featured five 1,000-point scorers on the court, it was the relentless man-to-man defense by both teams that pressured every shot and made every basket that much more significant.

From the five-minute mark until there were three minutes left in the game, neither team could score until Searfoss was fouled and sank both free throws to pull Thorpe within one again at 41-40. But 50 seconds later, the Bucks’ sharpshooter, Moriah Murray, let go with a long three that hit nothing but net.

Dunmore coach Ben O’Brien called a timeout and thought he could work his team into the bonus on the charity stripe.

“With 2:50 left, we still ran our offensive sets, but if we took care of the ball, with a minute to go with the lead, we knew they would have to foul us,” said O’Brien.

“They are an excellent team. We played them in the summer league and found out how tough they are.”

With time flashing down to just over two minutes, up the court came the Olympians (12-1). Down by four, Searfoss threw up a gutty bank shot in traffic that went in.

With 50 ticks left on the clock, Dunmore’s Mia Blume hit a pair of free throws to bring the score to 47-42, forcing the home team into a two-possession dilemma if they were to knock off the visitors - ranked No. 1 in the state just two weeks ago.

Jim Thorpe head coach Nadia Gauronsky called a time out.

“We set up our ladder play where Leila Hurley comes to the top of the key for a three,” said Gauronsky.

Just as it was drawn up on the board, Hurley let it fly into the basket with 29 seconds left. Thorpe still trailed 47-45, but Murray’s two free throws would lock down the win for the Bucks.

Murray opened the game with two straight three-pointers for a 6-0 lead, but Thorpe went on a 9-0 run and outscored the Bucks 15-3 to close out the period. Leah Snisky’s running one-hander and her layup off a great pass from Searfoss highlighted the Olympians’ six-point lead going into the second.

Thorpe then took its biggest lead of the game at eight points. Hurley’s baseline three-pointer at 5:40 made it 20-12, but Dunmore’s 13-5 run ended with a Sophia Talutto layup at the buzzer and the score was knotted 25-25 going into the intermission.

The third period began with stifling defensive play from both teams. There was no scoring for the first two minutes until Thorpe’s Mackenzie Yuhas hit on a spinning layup. Dunmore (11-1) threatened to take over the game when Murray nailed a side jumper for a five-point lead, but Searfoss scored on a left-hander off the glass and was fouled. Her three-point play with 35 seconds to go in the third brought Thorpe within a bucket at 37-35.

The tense drama of the fourth period, and even the end result, left Gauronsky proud of her team despite having suffered their first loss of the season.

“We hung with one of the best teams in the state all the way through the game. Last year they beat us by 30. We played a phenomenal game, and this effort will go a long way toward preparing us for the postseason.”

POWER PLAY ... Dunmore’s girls basketball program currently has a 53-3 record over the past three seasons. This year’s edition has Murray, who is on scholarship commitment with Division 1 Drexel for next year, and Toomey, their other 1,000 point scorer who is just a junior but has already been scouted by UConn - one of the premiere college programs in the country.

BENCH CRUNCH ... Both coaches played their five starters nearly the entire game. Jim Thorpe did make one substitution.

DUNMORE

Murray 9-4-4-26, Toomey 7-2-5-17, Blume 0-3-4-3, Tolutto 1-0-0-2, Lewis 0-1-2-1. TOTALS: 17-10-15-49.

JIM THORPE

Searfoss 5-7-9-17, Hurley 6-1-1-16, Snisky 2-1-2-5, Yuhas 2-0-0-4, O. Smelas 1-1-2-3, H. Smelas 0-0-0-0. TOTALS: 16-10-14-45.

Dunmore 9 16 12 12 - 49

Jim Thorpe 15 10 10 10 - 45

Three-pointers: Dunmore - Murray 4, Toomey 1; Jim Thorpe - Hurley 3.