Fouls and ejections played a large role in the matchup between Desert Mountain’s girls basketball team and Basha Friday night.

 

In overtime, the Basha Bears made a huge comeback and beat the Wolves 56-53. 

 

“We play three good quarters and we have one bad quarter,” said Basha head coach Rich Meseroll about the struggles the Bears have faced this season.

 

The matchup got off to a slow start and the real action didn’t come into play until the fourth quarter. 

 

The head coach of Desert Mountain was absent, as former Arizona State player Katie Hempen, head coach of the junior varsity, took the lead as interim head coach Friday.

 

The score was just 5-1 by the time the first buzzer went off, but by the end of the second half Basha trailed 24-14.

 

Both teams accounted for 10 fouls each by the end of the first half, as the defenses tried to make sure the other team did not get away with much.

 

The majority of the Bears' points came from seven free throws, four of them made by senior Macey Rose, who also made one three pointer and another basket.

 

Nine of the first half 24 points made by the Wolves were also free throws. Junior Rayah Craig had seven points, six of which were from three-pointers. 
 

As the second half started, the Wolves had the lead, but the Bears took a 42-37 lead in the fourth quarter. But Craig kept up her shooting in the second half, helping the Wolves retake the lead.

 

Basha’s source of points in the second half mainly came from the 17 free throws they made, including nine by Amiya Josey and five by Rose. 

 

“Our shots weren’t going in at first and we’ve been working on that for awhile,” Josey, a freshman, said. “We fought hard. And we kept fighting.”

 

The score went back and forth during the fourth quarter until the final buzzer went off and the score was tied 44-44. 

 

Overtime caused even more tension as three Wolves fouled out and Hempen was ejected after receiving two technical fouls.

 

With six seconds left in the game, Young made a three pointer, making the score 54-53 for the Bears. 

 

“I’m very proud of my team’s performance tonight,” the Bears' Vanessa Gastelum said. “They ran the offense and executed all of the plays we practiced. That’s how we came back and won.”