#1 Sunnyslope Holds Off #4 Basha in Overtime Thriller to Advance to Open Title Game

Quite the doubleheader of HS basketball took place at Chaparral HS on Thursday night. After St. Mary's shocked Millennium at the buzzer, the #1 Sunnyslope Vikings and #4 Basha Bears hoped to play a game of the same caliber right afterwards.

They did just that.

The Sunnyslope Vikings took down the Basha Bears 67-64 in overtime to keep on dancing into Veteran's Memorial Colesium on Saturday night for the Open Championship game.

Coming out of the gate hot, the Vikings would open up with a 7-0 run. 

Sunnyslope junior guard Delton Prescott and senior forward Christian Simmons would each hit a three-pointer to kick the game off. 

After the slow start, Basha would get out of their first-quarter slump. 

Basha senior guard Desean Middlebrook and sophomore guard Lleyton Leonard each had a three-pointer that was a part of the Bears' 13-3 run.

At the end of the first quarter, Basha led 13-12. 

Throughout the majority of the second quarter, Basha would lead.

Basha sophomore guard Kingston Montague began to take over for his team as he drilled two three-pointers and was getting to the rim. 

Right before the halftime buzzer, though, the Vikings were able to regain their lead. 

Sunnyslope senior forward Nash Parmley hit a big-time three-pointer to give his team a one-point lead at halftime. 

The Vikings would be able to maintain their lead through the third quarter.

Sunnyslope needed a senior to step up and make big plays. Doing that was senior guard Rider Portela, who couldn’t miss. 

Portela made multiple layups and even hit a three-pointer to keep the momentum on the Vikings' side. 

After the great third quarter, Portela would bring it right into the fourth quarter.

Only two minutes in the fourth, Portela was able to get a fastbreak slam dunk to get the crowd roaring. 

Even though the game was kept close, Portela says this team is built for big moments. 

“A lot of guys on our team are built for these big moments,” Portela said. “We go through that a lot over in practice, and it shows.”

The Bears would start to crawl their way back into the game. 

Leonard was able to get a run going for Basha after making an acrobatic layup and a deep three-pointer. 

Tying the game up with less than a minute to go, Middlebrook made a corner three-pointer for Basha. 

Sunnyslope was able to answer back and take the lead right back, but it wouldn’t hold for long. 

Sending the game into overtime was Basha sophomore guard David Rossling, who cut back door to get the easy layup.  

With a ticket to the Open Division championship game on the line, the game was headed to an extra four minutes of play.

Sunnyslope head coach Ray Portela knew his team would come through in overtime due to their experience. 

“We’ve got some experienced guys, and it showed,” Portela said. “Big players make big shots at big moments.” 

The Vikings were able to rely on their defense for the majority of overtime, as well as their ability to hit their free throws. 

Prescott was also then able to keep his composure and hit some of the biggest free throws of his career. 

Pressure didn’t get to Prescott, as he has the confidence in himself to come through when it matters the most. 

“I’m confident in myself,” Prescott said. “My teammates have confidence in me to make big plays, so I’m going to make big plays.” 

Basha would end up having one last chance to tie the game up as they had possession with five seconds to go. 

Sunnyslope junior forward Darius Wabbington stepped up to the plate and was able to deflect Basha’s final shot attempt. 

Sunnyslope is going back to the Open Division championship game for the second season in a row. 

The Vikings will face St. Mary’s Saturday night at Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum. 

In a prior game this season, Sunnyslope defeated St. Mary’s 65-43, but they know this time around it will be a taller task. 

“We know St. Mary’s is a lot different than the team we faced earlier this year,” Portela said. “We’re enjoying the win tonight, but we gotta get back to work.” 

Next up: Sunnyslope will face St. Mary’s for the Open Division title at Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum. Basha's season is over.