Basha prevails over O'Connor 70-67 in a heated battle at home

The O'Connor Eagles dominated the Basha Bears in the first half with unstoppable defensive plays as turnovers quickly became the Bears achilles heel throughout the game. The Eagles soared down the stretch putting up point after point.

Despite a slow first half, the Bears turned the court around for their home fans in the final stretch. The score was 36-31 Eagles going into the second quarter. Basha Sophomore Guard Lleyton Leonard sunk a shot from the point to give the Bears their first lead of the game. The score went back and forth by one point throughout the rest of the game. Bears fans were frustrated by questionable foul calls as players tried to keep their composure.

The Eagles continued their lead into the fourth quarter until the Bears scored four unanswered points early on. Although it didn't last too long as O'Connor nailed yet another three pointer. During a timeout call, Basha senior point guard Mason Magee made sure to calm his team down as their frustration began to show.

"(I'm) trying to bestow my knowledge upon them," Magee said. "Just trying to keep them calm because... (there's) a lot of high adrenaline in this game a lot of high emotion, so just keeping them level was good."

O'Connor was able to get a three pointer with 11 seconds left to make it a one point game. But in the end, fouls kept the Eagles from securing the momentum they needed to win tonight as they suffered one late to give Basha two free throw points to win the game.

O'Connor no doubt put up a fight with numerous shots from the point, and fans in blue kept the energy high throughout the game. Senior guards Ethan Vargas and Rylan Parsley led their team across the board.

With the Eagles now eliminated, the Bears will advance to the semifinals next week. They'll face No. 1 Sunnyslope who defeated No. 8 Brophy tonight. Tip off is at Chaparral High School on Wednesday at 8pm.