The SCHS Bruins varsity basketball team went head to head in an intense overtime game against the Homestead Mustangs that came down to the final seconds. The Bruins upset the Mustangs Tuesday night, winning 56-49.

After losing to the Mustangs by 13 points last year, varsity head basketball coach, Anthony Mcgilvery, wanted to make sure his players were prepared and knew they had to play “harder and tougher” in order to defeat the Mustangs and regain their first place ranking.

Starting the game off with several turnovers, the Bruins lacked in defense, leading the Mustangs to gain an early lead. However, junior Jagos Jovanovic and senior Jordan McGilvery led the Bruins to an 11-10 lead at the end of the first quarter.

The Bruins continued to play well, and junior Mark Anthony Wishom made many crucial shots, including a halftime buzzer-beater, sending the crowd into a frenzy and ending the first half with a 5 point lead.

Throughout the 3rd quarter, Homestead’s Brendan Kane scored several times while SCHS fought hard to maintain their lead with shots from junior Christopher Clark and Jovanovic. Making free throw shots off of Homestead’s fouls, the Bruins ended the quarter with a 38-29 lead.

In the fourth quarter, the Bruins suffered several turnovers, infuriating Coach McGilvery, who shouted for timeouts. The Mustangs scored a 3-pointer in the last 30 seconds, tying the game at 45.

Given five minutes of overtime to break the tie, the Bruins continued their determinative plays from the 4th quarter with several clutch shots from juniors Jercey Paras, Jovanovic, and Clark, who scored off of Homestead’s many fouls. Although the Mustangs tried to catch-up to the Bruins, the game ended in an energetic upset.

“The game was a big win because Homestead was in first place, and now they’re not,” coach McGilvery said. “They thought they were better than us, but they’re not.”