Rudy Aguado is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism Student aissigned to cover Hamilton High School for AZPreps365.com

PHOENIX - After winning three consecutive road games, the No. 9-ranked Hamilton Huskies (16-6) returned home for their final home game of the regular season on Thursday night hoping to continue their win streak. The Perry Pumas (18-5) spoiled the Huskies' senior night with a 41-39 win.

No. 4-ranked Perry entered Thursday night's game hoping to bounce back following a defeat to No. 3-ranked Brophy two nights earlier. Thursday night would be a 6A Premier Region rematch from two weeks before, when the Pumas defeated the Huskies 53-36 at Perry.

As close as the two-point margin of victory was, Perry never trailed at any point in the game after the first bucket. “We defended very well," Perry coach Sam Duane said, "and we made some key defensive stops and that allowed us to hold things off."

Perry Boys Varsity Basketball Team getting together during a timeout while having an early lead (Photo by Rudy Aguado/AZPreps365)Cody Williams and Ben Egbo both started the game with threes, giving the Pumas an early lead.

Quincy Adams led the Huskies in scoring early, with two baskets for four points. The Pumas led 12-4 midway through the first quarter and finished it up 16-10.

Williams scored the Pumas only six points in the second quarter as Hamilton cut the deficit to four points at halftime. Adams and AJ Turner combined for eight points, scoring the Huskies only points in the second quarter.

Perry led Hamilton 22-18 at halftime. Williams led the Pumas with 11 points in the first half, while Adams led his Huskies with eight.

“My team was moving the ball really well," said Williams, "and our defense was great at blocking, rebounding, and defending making it hard for our opponents to score.” 

The Pumas opened the second half on a strong note as Nolan Brown scored four quick points to extend the lead to 26-18.

Hamilton's Daimon Denning cut the deficit to three points midway through the third quarter, but Koa Peat answered back with a slam dunk to extend the Pumas lead. Perry led 33-27 at the end of the three.

Both teams had a rough start to the fourth quarter. No points were scored until Peat hit two free throws midway through the quarter.

The first field goal of the fourth quarter for either team wasn’t scored until Jalen Lee made a shot inside the paint with two minutes remaining.

Peat then blocked a lay-up by Kokea Makaila to keep the Pumas lead at four. A pair of Huskies’ free throws on the next possession made it a two-point game with less than a minute remaining.

Peat made two more free throws to double the lead to four points, as Adams fouled out of the game for the Huskies. Ben Edbo made the final free throws for the Pumas to secure the two-point victory.

"Anytime you get a win on this floor against your region rival, no matter how you get it, we take it and move on,” Duane said. “We can win close games, it’s not always perfect but we fought for 32 minutes, and I am really proud of our guys tonight.

Despite the result, Hamilton coach Doug Harris was proud of his team’s effort. “Our guys battled for four quarters," said Harris. "We just came up short and gave ourselves a chance to win but we battled and I’m proud of them."

With playoffs starting soon, both coaches' sole focus right now is finishing the regular season on a high note. “Right now, we are just focused on getting better every day," said Duane. "I am not even worried about playoffs right now."

“We are just going to continue to work and grind on our offense and continue to do what we have been doing all season long,” Harris said. “We are trying to get better every day and we will be fine.”

Perry improves to 12-4 as it enters the final week of the regular season with home games against Desert Ridge and Chandler.

Hamilton falls to 16-7 entering the final game of the regular season. The Huskies have an opportunity to redeem themselves on the road against No. 2-ranked Brophy Tuesday night.