Perry fought and struggled for the first 30 minutes at home against Basha Friday night. 
But in the end it was all worth it, as the Pumas stubbornly crawled their way back to tie the game in the last two minutes before prevailing, 70-64 in overtime in a crucial 6A Premier Region contest.

Perry (11-11, 4-1) had four players score in double digits, led by Unesu Machiri, who came up clutch in the four minute overtime, when she scored nine of her 13 points. Freshman Elleigh Molinar scored 12 points, Alexis Fenn had 11 and senior Maci Fess added 10, five of which came late in the fourth quarter in a crucial sequence that tied the game.

"We just kept telling ourselves we're gonna keep fighting and fighting," Hess said afterward. "(Basha) is a good team and they've got better size than us. But we kept communicating and kept it close enough that we knew we had a chance."

Basha (11-10, 1-3) led 34-26 at halftime and 47-38 after three quarters, but Perry stayed within striking distance before clamping down defensively in the fourth quarter. Trailing 51-46 with just over two minutes to play, Hess connected on a 3-pointer before a driving layup toljat tied the score.at 51, as Perry fans erupted. 

Perry wasn't done, and appeared to have the game in hand after a short jumper and two free throws gave the Pumas a 55-51 lead with just over a minute to play.

But Basha ahowed its own resilience. Rose Bosch drained a 3-pointer from the baseline, cutting the Perry lead to one point (55-54).

Perry's Molinar was quickly fouled and made one of two free throws for a 56-54 lead. On Basha's next possession, freshman Claire McMmahon fought for two offensive rebounds and was finally able to get the put back to fall, tyoing the score at 56 with seven seconds to play. Perry was unable to get off a clean shot, and it was on to over time, and the Pumas didn't mess around.

Back to back 3-pointers by Fenn and Marichi gave Perry a 62-58 lead before Hess hit a short jump shot and it was 64-58 as Basha struggled to shoot in the overtime period. 

Shah and Marichi then each hit free throws and the lead was 68-59. A layup and free throw from sophomore TJ Coleman were Basha's only points through three minutes of OT. 

Bosch hit a late 3-pointer but it was too little too late for the Bears (11-10, 1-3).

Hess admitted the win meant a little more because of the overflow crowd that made its way into the gym by halftime. Many arrived early for the boys game as expected, and they got their money's worth. 

"It doesn't happen very often," Hess said of the atmosphere. "We came out at halftime down by eight, and we just told ourselves 'hey this is an amazing opportunity in front of this huge crowd."

Bosch led all scorers with 19 points. Madison Garner added 11 points and six assists for Basha.