Early in the third quarter Saturday night, a group of fans said goodbye to their friends and headed for one of the exits in Sullivan Gymnasium.

As they made their way through the standing-room crowd, these fans emphasized that they had “seen enough.’’

Oh, if they only knew what they ended up not seeing.

Saint Ignatius, trailing by 18 points with less than a minute gone in the third quarter, picked up its effort at both ends of the court and took Warren Harding to the wire before falling at the foul line, 65-58.

In a game that was decided at the charity stripe in the final 23 seconds, the Harding Raiders improved to 5-0 behind the clutch free-throw shooting of forward/guard Angel Gonzalez.

The Wildcats, who made a valiant effort against a basketball team many veteran coaches and reporters have labeled as one of the four or five best in Ohio, slipped to 2-2.

“The defensive energy is definitely coming,’’ said Coach Sean O’Toole (’87) after his Wildcats clawed their all the way back and tied the score with slightly more than seven minutes remaining to be played. “Part of the plan was to attack them and try to get them in foul trouble.

“That’s a very good Harding team over there. Their guards are great, their pressure is great. We had 16 turnovers at halftime, and only four in the second half. Number one, we were conscious of not making the turnover (in the second half) and number two, we had them in foul trouble and they had to back off a bit.

“But you know what the key stat is, 14 missed free throws (by Saint Ignatius). I’m at a loss because I know how mental it is. Right now I have to figure out a way to get us confident at that line. In practice, we actually look good shooting them.’’

The Wildcats, who were coming off a 10-for-19 performance from the foul line in a nine-point victory at Findlay, hit on just 10 of 24 free throws against the Raiders.

Warren Harding, which advanced to the elite eight in Division I last season, rode its gifted guards and relentless ball pressure to the 18-point cushion. Leading the way for Coach Steve Arnold was the tenacious trio of Fred Williams (23 points), Sheldon Brogdon (16 points) and Desmar Jackson (14 points).

However, just when the Raiders’ faithful were anticipating a blowout, Saint Ignatius went into an attack mode, both offensively and defensively.

After two strong moves in the post by senior Dan Fox and a 3-pointer by Fox, the Wildcats trailed by 11 points with 5:29 left in the third quarter. A soft jumper in the lane by sophomore forward Shonn Miller, another 3-pointer by Fox and a layup by Miller off an assist from junior guard Tom Parker cut the deficit to 42-36 with 3:33 to go in the third quarter.

Harding, which was coming off a dominant performance at Shaker Heights, got some breathing room on three free throws by Williams. Saint Ignatius responded with a 3-pointer and a free throw by junior guard Tyler Hammond and, after Fox powered up two more points along the baseline, the Wildcats trailed, 46-43, entering the final eight minutes. Fox scored 12 of his team-high 17 points in the third quarter and finished with 10 rebounds.

“He’s a horse and we’re going to ride him all year long, there’s no doubt about it,’’ said O’Toole of the 6-4 Fox, a Notre Dame football recruit.

Saint Ignatius, which travels to Lakewood on Tuesday night, knotted the score at 46 on a free throw by senior guard Pat Hinkel and a basket in transition by Parker.

At that point, Harding, displaying the composure one associates with a highly touted team, went on an 8-0 run that was sparked by a steal and a one-handed slam-dunk by the long and athletic Jackson.

A driving layup along the baseline by Hinkel made it a six-point game, but Brogdon hit a clutch 3-pointer and the Raiders led, 57-48.

Once again, the Wildcats provided a flurry – a 7-2 run that featured a strong drive down the lane by Fox, a forced turnover by Hinkel, a soft, running one-hander by Hammond and a 3-pointer by Miller with 2:07 remaining to be played.

After Hinkel scored off an assist from Miller, Saint Ignatius trailed, 60-57, with 48 seconds left. Hinkel, a Miami (Ohio) football recruit, scored 14 points, grabbed seven rebounds and had six assists.

“Pat’s the glue,’’ O’Toole said. “We need Pat out there because he settles us down, makes very intelligent decisions, attacks and is our lock-down defender. He’s invaluable.’’

And the Raiders’ faithful are probably feeling the same about their Angel – Gonzalez – who came up with a big offensive rebound and four pressure free throws in sending the team from Trumbull County home happy.

Until Gonzalez’s game-clinchers, Harding also was having a shaky night from the foul line. The Raiders ended up hitting 15 of their 28 attempts from the charity stripe.

A NIGHT TO REMEMBER: In leading the Wildcats’ junior-varsity team to a 68-56 victory over Harding’s jayvees, guard Tom Leppla scored 33 points, including six 3-pointers.

A 6-1 sophomore, Leppla scored 13 points and hit three 3-pointers in the first quarter and by halftime he had 24 points and five 3-pointers. Coach Kevin Neitzel (’90) watched his junior-varsity squad improve to 3-1.