Throughout the opening 17 minutes of Tuesday’s Ottawa Girls Holiday Tournament championship game, Princeton and Metamora were matching each other play for play.

But then Tigresses senior and tournament MVP Keighley Davis took over.

With the score tied with just under seven minutes to play in the third quarter, Davis scored nine of her game-high 23 points in the lane, then added six more tallies in the fourth, including her final two on free throws with 30 seconds left, as undefeated Princeton (12-0) pulled away from the Redbirds (11-5) for a 57-44 triumph.

“Growing up with four older brothers, I’ve learned a little bit about playing in the lane,” said Davis, who also had a game-best eight rebounds, four assists and four steals. “I just want to make sure I’m going to the basket as hard as a can. I feel comfortable with the ball down low and feel confident I can score when I get the ball down there.

“I thought during this tournament we collectively started to see the floor better offensively. We passed the ball amazing, we were moving without the ball and we were finding each other when we were open.”

The two sides were tied at 10-all after one quarter and Metamora held a slim 26-25 lead at halftime.

The contest was tied at 28 before Davis sank a trio of baskets around another from sophomore Payton Brandt. Then senior Camryn Driscoll drilled an acrobatic, off-balance shot just inside the arc at the buzzer.

“My message to the girls before the game was, ‘This is why we play and why we coach,’” Princeton coach Tiffany Gonigam said. ”We said we’re playing in a championship game in December so let’s enjoy it and give our best effort. I think we did both those things tonight. I’m just so happy for the girls, they wanted this one and they got it.

“The biggest key is we played the runs. Basketball is a game of runs and momentum. You just have to keep your composure, fight through tough spots and keep on going. I thought we did a great job of keeping our emotions steady.”

The Redbirds cut the lead to 47-42 with just under four minutes to play, but Davis responded by scoring on a drive through traffic and then on a short hook shot.

Ava Munson, Driscoll and Davis all swished a pair of free throws in the final minute to secure the win.

Brandt (seven rebounds) and Driscoll (seven rebounds, four assists) each had 13 points and were named to the all-tournament team.

“Payton Brandt worked her butt off in this tournament,” Davis said. “She was always hustling and was our spark plug. She just keeps getting better and better for us, which has been great to see.”

Princeton finished 22-of-42 (52%) from the field and held a 37-30 rebound advantage.

Metamora — which shot 15-of-60 (25%), including just 5-of-34 from beyond the arc —was led by 12 points and seven rebounds from Addy Wooden.

“Our 1-3-1 defense is our bread and butter,” Gonigam said. “We knew Metamora is very capable of making a high percentage of 3-point shots, but we had to stick with what we do with a couple small adjustments mixed in. When you’re a zone team against a team that can knock down perimeter shots it is kind of ‘let’s see if they are on tonight.’ It helped a little tonight that they weren’t.”

Princeton will be back in action on Jan. 5 when it hosts rival Hall.