Hamilton's girls basketball team experienced something out of the ordinary Friday afternoon based on its first nine outings this season --  a close game.

Close game as in the outcome not decided until the final buzzer. Maddie Frederick's contested layup with no time left gave Hamilton a 59-57 victory over Clovis West (Fresno, Calif.) in the opening round of the 18th annual Nike Tournament of Champions Invite at Highland High School. Hamilto (9-1) advances to the Mike Desper Division quarterfinals on Saturday (Dec. 19) against Bishop McNamara (MD) at 1 p..m. at Campo Verde High School. Bishop McNamara defeated Etiwanda (CA), 60-44, earlier on Friday. 

The Lady Huskies brought an 8-1 record to the floor against Clovis West with the eight wins achived by an average margin of 15 points and their loss by double-digits last weekend against unbeaten Morgan Park (Chicago, Ill.)  at the McDonald's El Paso Classic.

"We needed a game like this," Hamilton coach Trevor Neider, in his first year piloting the Lady Huskies, said. "To win it makes it even better. They're a very good team. I don't think we'll see another team that pressures from start to finish like they did. We played well the last couple minutes with the game on the line."

Hamilton, which trailed by as many as 11 in the first quarter and led by as many as eight in the third period, battled nip and tuck virtually the entire fourth quarter. Both teams pressed or double-teamed incessantly as turnover totals ended up lofty and close to even at the finish. Hamilton trailed 51-50 with 4:17 to play before the teams exchanged leads five times to the finish.

Two free throws by Hamilton's Payton Whitmore with 29.8 seconds left tiedt he game at 57. Clovis West tried to work for the final shot after Whitmore's free throws, but Hamilton's presssure in front court forced a backcourt violation with 11.5 seconds left.

After a timeout, Hamilton let Whitmore handle the ball to set up a final shot. Whitmore wasn't in as big a hurry as she should have been as time wound down with her  about  25 feet from the basket. With Neider and the Lady Huskies' bench and fans screaming for a pass, Whitmore zipped the ball to the right of the lane to Frederick with under three seconds left. Frederick made a beeline to the basket with a defender hanging with her. Frederick's first step was quick enough and strong enough for a good angle for the game-winner as time expired.

The victory could just as easily gone to Clovis West, but the Golden Eagles poor free-throw shooting in the final quarter came back to haunt them. Clovis West was in the bonus or double bonus nearly the entire final period and made just 7 of 19 free throws in the quarter.

Makayla Filiere finished unoffiicially with 17 points and Whitmore and Frederick tallied nine points apiece for Hamilton. Clovis West had three players score in double digits -- Mega Anderson (13), Bre'yanna Sanders (12) and Danae Marquez (10).