Amya Zapien is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Basha High School for AZPreps365.com

MESA, Ariz. -- The Basha High School girls basketball team defeated Mesa 50-42 Friday night, bouncing back after losing its season opener two nights earlier.

The Bears' balanced free-throw accuracy proved a success in their victory. They also relied on teamwork and execution to help overcome Mesa’s pressure in a game that remained close until the final minutes.

“I think we were a little bit more disciplined this game,”  Basha head coach Chiniqua Bright said. “We were kind of jumping to the ball where we needed to be, sharing the ball, using that communication and things like that. We kind of executed on the stretch.”

Basha’s offense was sparked by junior shooting guards Rose Bosch and Grace Beckler, who combined for 37 points. 

“It was pretty good, yeah we were talking a lot, hyping each other out and I think we were doing a really good job communicating,” Bosch said.

Beckler contributed to 19 points including a 3-point shot and four free throws. 

“I got a lot of my buckets off with just great passes from my teammates,” Beckler said. 

Bosch added to the score by burying nine points, including three long 3-pointers in the second half that widened the lead. 

“I’m feeling really good. I was just coming in ... really nice today and all of my teammates were hitting me and I think that we were doing like really good team basketball,” Bosch said. 

The Bears' defense proved critical in holding Mesa’s leading scorer, Taylor Morris, to only 14 points.

The Jackrabbits struggled throughout the whole game but found a way to come close regardless of Basha’s defensive rotations and strong communication.

“[They] shared the ball really well tonight. We hit back shots when we needed to, made stops when we needed to. [I'm] very proud,”  Bright said.  

Even with freshman Amira Reynolds getting into foul trouble and fouling out with just a couple of minutes left in the 4th quarter, the Bears stepped up. The bench players contributed in those last few minutes by maintaining the intensity of the team.

“When someone fouls out, we just kind of [go with] next-man-up mentality and they know that and kind of stepped into those roles," Bright said. “[I’m] so very proud.” 

Mesa fought hard to win the game, falling just nine points behind in the last few minutes. Basha responded by making its free throws in the 4th quarter,  which helped the Bears keep Mesa on its toes and seal the deal.

“I think our biggest challenge in ourselves is just when those runs happen for Mesa," Bright said. "They went on a couple of good ones and it was just having our composure and realizing it was still our game and it was obtained.”

Bosch said Basha’s improvement from last season has been a huge jump compared to their two games of the new season. 

“I think I'm just really proud of our improvement from last year,“ Bosch said. “I think there was a big jump from us last year and us this year. We were just skill-wise, and working together works a lot better.”

The victory not only evened Basha’s record to 1-1 but boosted the team’s confidence as the Bears look forward to the rest of the season and going against top local teams.

“I think that this is just getting us ready for the rest of the season especially later in the year when we have to play the premiere region teams. I think we’re just really looking forward to keep working and get more wins,” Bosch said. 

The Bears will hope to carry their momentum against Greenway High School at 3 p.m. Monday in the Mountain Ridge Girls Basketball Invitational at Mountain Ridge High School in Glendale. 

Mesa will continue its season against Williams Field at 6:30 p.m. Monday in the Turkey Shootout at McClintock High School in Tempe.