Basha bounces back with big win over Liberty in 6A football
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Chandler Basha coach Chris McDonald didn't call it a must-win game.
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But it was as big of a win the Bears will have all season, after turning back No. 2 Peoria Liberty 30-22 before an overflow crowd at Basha on Friday night, Sept. 18.
The Bears were beat up and it seemed in desperation mode after losing back-to-back weeks to Orange Lutheran (California) and Phoenix Pinnacle. The 40-7 loss last week came with eight starters on the sideline, out with injuries.
They still had seven players out for the Liberty game.
But the Bears showed resiliency and grit, turned up the heat defensively and got three field goals from Arizona State-bound kicker Mike Barth, including a 55-yarder with 3:35 left that seemed to put the game on ice.
Liberty sophomore quarterback Jason Haines, smothered for much of the last three quarters, had one last drive left in him, leading the Lions into the end zone with a touchdown, then a two-point conversion pass. But, by then, only 36 seconds remained, and the Lions needed to recover an onside kick.
Basha fell on the kick and the Bears snapped their two-game losing streak to get back on that Open Division state title track.
Basha began the season ranked No. 1 in the state and was considered the favorite to repeat as Open champs. USA TODAY ranked them as the No. 11 team in the nation.
"It's all about culture," McDonald said. "I don't want to do coach speak and all that other stuff. But we faced a ton of adversity these last two weeks and these kids pulled through. Against a really good Liberty team, we had a sophomore and two freshmen starting in the secondary."
One of those freshmen, safety Ahmad Jones, made a diving interception of a Haines pass in Basha territory late in the first half to keep the Bears within 14-10 at the half.
Basha quarterback Jake Rogers took a big hit in the second quarter. His shoulder was wrapped up, but he continued to perservere, leading the Bears on an eight-play, 80-yard drive to open the second half that was capped by a Noah Roberts 2-yard touchdown. That gave the Bears a 17-14 lead.
Rogers completed a 40-yard pass to Tristan Sailer, before finding Jaden Baldwin on a post play for a 15-yard gain that set up Roberts' touchdown.
"I got a little banged up on one of the hits," Rogers said. "I had to get through it for my guys.
"It's a big win, after losing the last two. I can't remember the last time Basha lost two games in a row. So it was, how are we going to bounce back?"
They did it with defense turning the game after Liberty had gone up 14-7 on big pass plays from Haines to wide receiver Braxton Huynh.
The turning point came with six minutes to play in the third quarter. Linebacker Barry Adams blitzed and popped the ball loose from Haines just as he was about to throw. Taylan Patterson scooped up the ball and ran 38 yards for a touchdown.
That gave Basha a 24-14 lead. Basha continued to pressure Haines, who had no room to run. He couldn't get the offense back on track until it was 30-14.
"We played lights out," Patterson said. "We know what we're supposed to do every play. We came together. We stayed locked in and it showed. We beat a good team."
Richard Obert has been covering high school sports since the 1980s for The Arizona Republic. Catch the best high school sports coverage in the state. Sign up for Azcentral Preps Now. And be sure to subscribe to our daily sports newsletters so you don't miss a thing. To suggest human-interest story ideas and other news, reach Obert at [email protected] or 602-316-8827. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter:@azc_obert
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Basha bounces back with big win over Liberty in 6A football