Basha outlasts Hamilton in double-overtime instant classic

The game had all the hype you needed heading in.

Basha, at No. 4, and Hamilton, at No. 6, were both two of the top-ranked teams in the state for The Republic’s Super 10. Both have a history of winning. Both have players headed off to Division I colleges. They’re neighborhood schools, only separated by eight miles.

And on Friday evening, they met in a highly anticipated matchup with a game that will have Open playoff implications down the road.

The game certainly lived up to the billing as Basha outlasted Hamilton 45-44 in two overtimes. Hamilton senior quarterback Beckham Pellant’s pass was tipped in the end zone on a two-point conversion to end the game.

Basha moves to 6-1 on the season while Hamilton falls to 5-2.

“I’m really proud of our kids finding a way to finish,” Basha coach Chris McDonald said. “We didn’t play a really clean game at times. That really has a lot do with what Hamilton was doing in all honesty. They did a really good job in the second half. We found a way.”

Here are three key takeaways from one of the most thrilling games of the season.

Legend almost does it by himself

For a brief moment, it seemed like the game was going to be a runaway win for Basha after freshman running back Noah Roberts took the first hand off of the game 80 yards for a touchdown. Basha added another quick touchdown on a 10-yard pass from senior quarterback Demond Williams to junior wide receiver Gio Williams.

It was 14-0 Basha with 2:02 left in the first quarter.

Enter: Hamilton senior wide receiver Legend Bernard. He had a nifty 5-yard catch from Pellant for Hamilton’s first score of the game at the end of the first quarter. Bernard added another in the second quarter on a 25-yard pass to make it 21-17 with 2:46 left in the first half.

It was Bernard’s third touchdown of the night that put Hamilton ahead for the first time, 31-28, at the 2:01 mark in the third quarter.

He came up big again in overtime, scoring on Hamilton’s first drive of overtime on a 5-yard pass to put his team ahead, 38-31.

Bernard finished with four touchdowns on the evening, but it wasn’t quite enough for the Huskies to pull out the win.

Williams takes over

It’s no secret that Basha senior quarterback Demond Williams Jr. is one of the best quarterbacks in Arizona. He might be just the best player, period. Friday night was another example of that.

He had been playing well the entire night, pushing the ball downfield and causing defenders to miss. But he hadn’t put his signature stamp on the game yet as Roberts and Richardson were making the big plays for the Bears.

Richardson ended up with three touchdown receptions on the evening.

“That’s my guy,” Williams said. “We go way back, we’re just trying to play our best football together, try to stay on the same page the whole game.”

Williams’ time came in the fourth quarter and overtime, when Williams simply took the game into his own hands — or legs — to put his team in the driver’s seat.

With 1:49 left in the game, Basha took over at their own 10-yard line. Williams then made arguably the play of the game: a monster 46-yard throw to senior wide receiver Mason Arhin that placed the Bears in Hamilton’s terrority. That led to senior kicker Timothy Tynan’s 21-yard field goal, which tied it up with 12 seconds left.

Williams scored both of Basha’s touchdowns in the two overtime periods, both on scrambles. His pure athleticism won the game.

“That’s what he does,” McDonald said. “He’s a special player, he’s a difference maker. We’re never out of a play with him.”

A call for the win

But the Huskies answered right back to Williams in overtime.

First Pellant connected with senior wide receiver Dylan Lord on a 12-yard pass to bring the ball to the 1. Then Pellant hit senior wide receiver Jack Lewis on a 1-yard touchdown pass in the second overtime period to make it 45-44.

The clock read 10:28 p.m. at this moment. We were beginning to approach the twilight of the evening.

Hamilton coach Mike Zdebski decided it was time to end it, one way or another. So he brought out his offense for the two-point attempt for the win.

“The first message was I’m going to see what they line up in, then we’re going to call a timeout” McDonald said to his defense before the play. “Then the second one was, we knew there was going to some type of spacing, pick, rub routes that was going to be coming at us, and I told our defensive line, ‘Hey man, sometimes it’s not about getting to the quarterback. It’s about knocking the ball down. And if we do that, the game’s over.’”

What’s next

This game will certainly dramatically impact the Open rankings next week when they’re released by the AIA with Basha at No. 6 and Hamilton at No. 8.

Basha has a massive tilt with crosstown rival Chandler next week in a home matchup.

Hamilton heads to Queen Creek to take on Casteel.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Basha outlasts Hamilton in double-overtime instant classic