Bedlam in Bed Stuy yet again as Boys High rallies late to best Lincoln

Boys & Girls trailed a divisional rival at home with less than a half minute remaining and didn’t have possession.

Essentially, the Kangaroos had Lincoln exactly where they wanted them. For the third time this year – and second time in less than a week – they miraculously forced overtime in the final seconds and prevailed against all odds against a Brooklyn AA power.

"It isn't any secret, we’re the two-time defending champs," Boys High coach Ruth Lovelace said. "We aren't going to quit. You have to flat out beat us."

LIncoln couldn't put the final nail in the Kangaroo coffin. Ethan Telfair missed two free throws with 14.5 seconds, Leroy (Truck) Fludd – the hero in all these wild finishes – was fouled taking a 3-pointer and made all three free throws with 3.9 left and Boys High overwhelmed Lincoln, which was without star sophomore Isaiah Whitehead (ankle), in overtime for a thrilling, 72-65 victory in Bed Stuy.

Denis Gostev

Boys and Girls' Leroy (Truck) Fludd takes a foul shot that sends the game into overtime. The Kangaroos prevailed, 72-65.

Photos: Lincoln-Boys & Girls

Denis Gostev

Boys and Girls' Wesley Myers scored all 18 of his points in the second half and overtime.

Photos: Lincoln-Boys & Girls

Denis Gostev

Boys and Girls' bench breaks out in celebration after Fludd sends the game into overtime.

Photos: Lincoln-Boys & Girls

“I think we gave a game away,” Lincoln coach Dwayne (Tiny) Morton said. “They were ready to take it.”

Lincoln (17-5, 12-2 Brooklyn AA) was in control, up 47-39 with 39.2 seconds left in the third quarter, when Whitehead landed awkwardly on his left ankle. He immediately hit the deck and covered his face with his jersey to hide the obvious pain.

While he had just seven points up to that point, Whitehead’s absence allowed Boys High to focus more energy to stopping Lincoln’s other top threats, such as forward Tafari Whittingham (15 points) and Shaquille Davis (10). With one less shooter to worry about, the Kangaroos sat back in a zone and Lincoln failed to make them pay from the perimeter.

“It made a big difference in the game,” Fludd said.

Fludd, who struggled in a loss to Lincoln the first go-around, made the extra session possible with the three free throws. The senior, one of the city’s top uncommitted prospects, stepped to the free-throw line with a shaky past of late. He missed three from the charity stripe in Tuesday’s loss to Thomas Jefferson and missed three more against Lincoln.

Yet he calmly sank his first two and after Lincoln tried to freeze him with a timeout, sank the third. During the timeout, Lovelace didn’t even go over the possibility of Fludd missing – she discussed the defense the Kangaroos would play after he made the tying free throw.

"I told him [later], 'Truck, you are a better person than me because I can't be in that situation,'" Lovelace said. "I think that's the toughest thing to do in the game of basketball. When the game is on the line and you have to make free throws.

“That's what you call a hero,” she added. “Those are hero shots."

With help from reserver forward Shakur Pender (10 points, 16 rebounds) and point guard Dykweil Bryan (nine assists), junior guard Wesley Myers kept the Kangaroos in the game. In overtime, Myers took over. He scored the first six points for Boys High and Rashad Andrews followed with a 3-pointer that made it 68-63 with 1:26 left. The Kangaroos cruised to victory from there.

"Once we get out of regulation, overtime was ours," Myers said.

Myers’ big second half and overtime – he scored all 18 of his points after intermission – was essential with point guard Tyliek Kimbrough temporarily on the inactive list. The junior was having a quiet season recently, but has come alive of late, scoring 24 points against Jefferson and now helping to orchestrate Thursday’s comeback.

"People that see Wesley play know that he can be a major Division I player," Lovelace said. "I thought he used to settle and watched other guys. He just wasn't aggressive. He’s figured it out. He belongs and we need him."

Boys & Girls (18-5, 11-3) didn’t gain much from the win in the standings. It still finishes third in Brooklyn AA and will be on the road in the Brooklyn borough semifinals barring an opening-round upset. Yet it was important for the Kangaroos.

“We wanted that game so bad,” Myers said. “We lost the first game and that wasn’t supposed to happen.”

Plus, they didn’t want to see Lincoln win the Brooklyn AA title outright, which would've likely guaranteed them the top seed in the PSAL Class AA playoffs.

“I wanted them to have to split it,” Fludd said.

zbraziller@nypost.com