A quadruple-overtime game? Here's how it compares to other YAIAA basketball classics

It almost seems too good of a script, right?

Game goes to quadruple overtime ... the senior star reaches 1,000 points and forces the final OT and wins the game at the end.

The writers for the old Friday Night Lights TV show might have even found that ending too dramatic.

But that's exactly how Wednesday night's matchup between Delone Catholic and York County Tech played out. The Squires won 86-84 on the road in the fourth overtime on the strength of Cam Keller's 29 points. Keller had an offensive rebound and putback to tie the game in the final seconds of the third OT. He did the same thing with three seconds left in the fourth extra period to win the contest.

He became the 14th 1,000-point scorer in Delone Catholic boys' program history earlier in the contest.

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It was the second quadruple-overtime game in Delone Catholic history but the first since 1965. A quick search for "quadruple overtime basketball" in the YDR archives returns no results.

It got me thinking: Was that the craziest game the YAIAA has seen in recent years? I've watched many overtime games since I started covering the league during the 2015-16 season but nothing that's gone four overtimes. So how does Wednesday night's game compare to some of the classics.

Obviously, it's hard to compare a regular season game to a postseason one. And it's impossible to remember every overtime game each season. But here's my top 10 YAIAA overtime games over the past nine years — taking into account the stakes of the game and the overall craziness.

10. Kennard-Dale overcomes Eastern York's freshman's heroics, 2018

The Kennard-Dale girls' team was one stop from beating Eastern York at home. Golden Knights freshman Mara Weaver received the ball beyond the 3-point line with seconds to play, hesitated, and then tossed something of a hook shot toward the basket. It improbably went in. Weaver then hit two more 3s in overtime to send the game to a second OT. With the momentum against them, the Rams rallied for 11 straight points and a 53-42 win. Lexie Kopko scored seven points in the second OT to finish with 18 points. It was a sign of things to come for both programs. Kennard-Dale went from bottom-feeder to the state playoffs that spring and again in 2019. Eastern has continued to be a playoff staple since then.

9: Eastern York outlasts Red Lion in YAIAA semifinals, 2022

This wasn't the most aesthetically pleasing game — especially to proponents of the shot clock. But the Eastern boys' team's 46-45 win in double OT was a huge upset in front of a packed crowd at York County Tech. YAIAA Division I champion Red Lion had three chances to hit buzzer-beaters at the end of regulation and both overtimes and couldn't connect on any. Both teams only hit two free throws in the first overtime. Nobody scored in the final 2:35 of the second extra period after a bucket from Eastern's then-freshman Carter Wamsley. Red Lion's Evan Watt was excellent with 23 points but his final shot didn't come close. Eastern lost to West York in the title game but the same nucleus made the PIAA Elite Eight last season.

8. Central York-York High rivalry hits crescendo, 2023

Perhaps some recency bias with this one. But this was one of the most intense atmospheres I've experienced during a high school sporting event. Protests from fans nearly caused the referees to award free throws to the wrong Central York player in overtime before the correct decision was made. The Panthers escaped with a 67-64 road win despite trailing by 12 at halftime. Greg Guidinger needed to make two free throws in the final minute of regulation to send the game to overtime. The win put the Panthers in position to clinch YAIAA Division I and served as a preview of their eventual YAIAA championship victory over the Bearcats. Want to sum up this rivalry? York High players who were left in tears after the final buzzer were comforted by their opponents.

7. Gettysburg cements legacy with District 3 semifinals comeback, 2022

This one would be higher if the overtime period had been more competitive. The Gettysburg girls' team was trying to reach its fourth straight District 3 Class 5A title game but entered the postseason with star point guard Anne Bair just returning from a sprained ankle. The Warriors willed themselves back to the semifinals and then beat Lower Dauphin, 55-43, at home. Gettysburg trailed by five with under five minutes to play but finished the game on an 8-3 run and then outscored the Falcons 12-0 in overtime. Camryn Felix was the hero of the game with 25 points. A few days later, Gettysburg beat Mechanicsburg for its second district title during that stretch. The Warriors went 94-19 in four years with Bair at point guard.

6. Delone Catholic tops York Tech in quadruple overtime, 2024

This is probably the craziest game the league has seen in recent years. The only knock is it was a midseason contest. Delone remains in second place in YAIAA Division III while York Tech is in fifth place. Credit to Keller for finishing with 29 points after only having four for most of the first half. York Tech's Jordan Overton scored 33 in defeat. Can the Squires use the momentum from this game to make it back to the District 3 Class 3A title game?

5. Central York stuns Northeastern three times in one night, 2020

Now here's an all-time classic. Central York and Northeastern were both in contention for the YAIAA Division I boys' title when they met at Central on Jan. 15, 2020. The Bobcats led by three points with 2.3 seconds remaining. Inbounding from under his own basket, Central's Nolan Hubbs fired a pass to a leaping Beau Pribula at midcourt ... who found Evan Eisenhart on the wing for the game-tying 3-pointer at the buzzer. The Panthers celebrated like they won the game. In overtime, they again trailed by three with under 20 seconds to play. Kai'ryn Brown tied the game with a 3-pointer. In the ensuing chaos, Central's Trey Sweigart stole the inbounds pass and relayed it to Brown for the winning bucket. Final score: Central York 69, Northeastern 67. The Bobcats were kicking themselves when a single made free throw prior to both sequences would've made the difference. Central York head coach Kevin Schieler could only shake his head and say: "That never works in practice."

4. West York survives Dallastown's upset attempt, 2022

West York was pretty clearly the YAIAA's best boys' team in 2021-22 — going 24-5 and winning the YAIAA championship game by 11 points over Eastern York. But the Bulldogs nearly lost in the first round of the league tournament to a team with a losing record. Instead, they managed to rally past a determined Dallastown squad, 86-78, in triple overtime in the quarterfinals. The Wildcats went 9-13 in the regular season and snuck into the bracket due to a tiebreaker over Central York. But they proved they belonged on the stage and led for most of the second half. Braedyn Detz rallied West York in the fourth quarter and A.J. Williams — a bulldog forward not known for his shooting — drained an off-balance 3-pointer to send the game to a third OT. The Bulldogs hit 13 free throws in the final period to avoid the upset.

3. Northeastern makes historic run in thrilling fashion, 2017

It was a historic fourth quarter to earn a historic win in a historic run. The Northeastern boys' team captured York County's attention throughout the 2016-17 season with a fun group headlined by juniors Antonio Rizzuto and Fred Mulbah. But it took a total team effort to beat Archbishop Carroll, 86-84, in double overtime of the PIAA Class 5A quarterfinals. The Bobcats erased a 15-point fourth quarter deficit, got a tying bucket from Mulbah at the buzzer and withstood five lead changes in the first overtime. Underrated senior Brandon Coleman led the Bobcats with 31 points. It was the final win in a 30-2 campaign that included a District 3 title and concluded with a trip to the state Final Four.

2. Jared Wagner vs. Eli Brooks, Episode IV, 2016

The Central York and Spring Grove boys' teams met four times in 2015-16. Central York outscored Spring Grove by one point over those matchups. So it was fitting that the final one, the District 3 Class 4A semifinals, was decided the way it was. With Central down one with 11 seconds to play in overtime, Wagner drove to the lane and missed a floater — only to get the winning tip-in before the buzzer for a 52-51 victory. The tenacious guard, who had reached his 1,000th point earlier in the game, sprinted the length of the court and was lifted in the air by Central's student section. It was also fitting that Wagner finished with 23 points while Rockets superstar Eli Brooks scored 22 when the top two players in the league went back-and-forth with each other all season. It gave Central its first District 3 championship berth since 1984.

1. York High denies Northeastern's bid for back-to-back district crowns, 2018

Talk about a collection of storylines. Northeastern trying to make it back to the District 3 title game. York High trying to continue an improbable run after not even making the YAIAA tournament. The Bearcats gave a loaded Bobcats team everything it could handle in the District 3 Class 5A semifinals but trailed by three points in the final moments of regulation. York High senior captain Kyree Generett demanded the opportunity to take the final shot ... then sank it with four seconds to go. Fred Mulbah's desperation heave just missed and York High held off the Bobcats, 84-80, in overtime. Generett finished with 36 to out-duel Northeastern's Player of the Year Antonio Rizzuto (34). York High lost the title game to Milton Hershey but the win represented the program's rejuvenation after a pair of down seasons.

Matt Allibone is a sports reporter for GameTimePA. He can be reached at 717-881-8221, mallibone@ydr.com or on X at @bad2theallibone. 

This article originally appeared on York Daily Record: Delone Catholic boys' basketball wins quadruple-OT game over York Tech