Stella Tai is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Camelback High School for AZPreps365.com

Senior Deon Wright took the charge in a tie game with less than 30 seconds Thursday night, giving Camelback a chance to win the game. With no time left, sophomore Jaylin Ideran forced a 30-footer.

The ball swished through the net and whipped the home crowd into a frenzy.

“Sure, it was the best play of my career so far,” Ideran said.

“Great win, big victory for us and for the region,” Camelback Coach Glen Ellis said.

It was the Spartans’ third straight win. The Mustangs have dropped four of their past five games.

It was not just the buzzer-beater that made the Camelback point guard a hero. Ideran tied the game at 51 with two free throws after the Spartans were down seven with less than three minutes to play. Ideran also scored the Spartans’ last seven points within the final 100 seconds.  

Ellis did not forget to compliment Ideran on his performance on the defensive side. 

“He's playing in the middle of our zone defense,” Ellis said. “He's locking it down every single night. He's getting six or seven rebounds. He’s getting lots of tips and deflections. And tonight he had a big, big game.”

It was a one-point game after the back-and forth throughout the first three quarters. The Spartans opened the final quarter with a three-pointer from junior Kemahn Knight, but the Mustangs responded with a boisterous 11-0 run to build their largest lead of the night, a seven-point advantage.

North still maintained a seven-point lead with 2:43 to go following an exchange of and-one plays from both teams.

The Spartans finally regained their footing by putting more effort on its defensive end, forcing North to commit five turnovers in a row and no field goals attempts in the next 80 seconds. 

“You saw it,” North Coach Dana White, Jr. said. “Too many turnovers. We had the rebound at the end twice, and turned it over. That's why they got the last shot. So it's tough.”

After Ideran took the ball away from North and made an easy layup to even the game at 53, the Mustangs were called for another offensive foul, handing the last possession to the Spartans.  

Camelback missed its first potential game-winner, but Wright fought for the rebound to give the Spartans another chance to escape overtime. Junior Aken Logan drew a double-team, finding the wide open Ideran who had no choice but to have a quick release from deep. The 30-foot trey from the right wing fell into the basket perfectly as time expired. 

Ideran had no doubt that the victory was a team effort.

“When Aken’s shot was short, which was a great shot, Deon hustled and Aken got it,” Ideran said. “He pumped-fake and two people jumped. All the floor was just wide open. I mean, I wasn't playing as hard as I normally play. I had to do some so I made the shot.”

Another spotlight of the game would be the matchup between two junior big men, Camelback’s Kofi Idris and North’s Miles Swift as both centers had double-double performances along with multiple blocks. 

Swift played a huge role down the stretch, contributing seven consecutive points including completing a strong three-point play to put North on top. Idris forced several turnovers and thus created many fast break opportunities for his teammates.

“Those are two of the best big men in Arizona,” Ellis said. “They battled it out tonight. Both of them had a lot of points inside. They both had some blocks. Miles came in off the bench and really impacted the game. And our guy Kofi probably had 12 or 14 rebounds as he always does.”

Both teams were on the second night of a back-to-back, but neither of them showed any signs of wear and tear. North rained in eight shots from behind the arc, including two in the final quarter to help the Mustangs go on an 11-0 run.

Four Spartans scored in double digits combining for 51 points. Ideran led the crew with 15 points, with Logan, Idris and Knight cashing in 12 points each.

It is noteworthy that none of the Spartans who scored on Thursday night were seniors. In fact, only two players on Camelback’s roster are about to graduate after this season. Ellis thinks it is fun and exciting to have such a young core.

“I'm getting to see them grow up and mature,” Ellis said. “And it's a lot of managing their emotions and helping them talk through different tough times, kind of just being a solver and mentor, and also helping them to learn to have fun rather than just playing basketball.”

Camelback has witnessed a significant improvement in its basketball team. Last year the Spartans ended the season with an undesirable 6-16 record, while they are now 10-5 this season.

“Our kids put in a lot of work during the offseason,” Ellis said. “They worked hard every single day ever since our season ended last year. We brought back 11 returners, so all those kids came back. They all know our system. They've grown, they've gotten mature and they're coming back with experience now. So now that's why we're winning."

Camelback will play at Maryvale next Tuesday at 7 p.m, while North will host Trevor G. Browne at 7 p.m. Tuesday.