The girls basketball 6A state championship game between No 3 seed Hamilton and No 1 seed Gilbert (23-8) at Veterans Memorial Coliseum on Saturday morning was one for the ages, especially for the fans of Hamilton, who aged many years awaiting the final outcome.

To do so, they first had to watch a 13-point lead, with just 2:20 remaining in the game, evaporate into a Tigers buzzer-beater by Isabella Ivy that forced overtime.

And then in the extra session, the Huskies (20-12) had to overcome a two-point deficit with just 25 seconds remaining, which they eventually did.

The final result proved to be worth it for the Hamilton, as they escaped with a 56-54 win, giving them their first state title since 2019.

Huskies’ coach Trevor Neider was elated after the win, a win that was not a sure thing the later it got in the contest.

“I have never seen anything like it in this environment. That was crazy; it was fun,” said Neider referencing the game’s final six minutes.

“I am proud of how the girls overcame things, that overtime after (Ivy) hit that one-in-a-million shot. And then we got down (in overtime) and we just kept playing. I am just proud of them.”

"The shot" Neider referred to would have been the one and only headline had the Tigers’ pulled out the win, because it was truly remarkable. It came during one of the most dynamic, maybe the most, individual second half performances ever delivered in a state title game.

With just 1.5 seconds left, Hamilton’s Izzy Anderson sunk a pair of free throws, giving her team what appeared to be a 45-42 win.

But that is when the Ivy, who had also lost in last year’s final game as a member of a Perry High School squad, did the most improbable.

After the ball was inbounded to her, the senior took one dribble and launched a desperation shot from well before half court, nearly 60 feet, and amazingly swished it as time expired, tying the game for the first time at 45-45.

And her heroics were not done, as she scored seven of her team’s nine overtime points, keeping the improbable comeback in play. She had entered the fourth quarter shooting just 2-of-19 on the game before hitting four 3-pointers in the final 1:37 of regulation. She finished with a game-high 30 points after having just seven at intermission.

The game wasn’t decided until Hamilton’s Aaliya VanHeel scored her only two points of the contest at the most opportune time, with 15 ticks left in overtime, rebounding a missed free throw and laying it back up, for the deciding margin.

“My dad told me he had a dream that either me or my sister (teammate Contessa) were going to hit a buzzer beater. After I made that shot I saw him tell me ‘I told you so.’ It’s just unfortunate we couldn’t finish with a win,” Ivy explained.

Ultimately though, the Huskies, who held the lead throughout the entire four quarters until the regulation clock hit zeroes, held on backed by several great standout performances of their own.

Center Taylor Sipfle was the leader early, netting 12 points and grabbing nine rebounds in the first half, before finishing with 15 and 11, respectively. Foul trouble for her in the second half allowed guard Sage Henry to take over the show.

The junior Henry overcame a sluggish first half by throwing her team on her back in the second half, scoring 18 of her team-high 22 points in the fourth quarter and overtime. She also added 10 boards.

The talented junior played alongside Ivy in the 6A title game last year with Perry and remembered what it was like to lose, so she did everything she could to not replicate that feeling.

“It’s one of those that things that I came with the mindset that I came to Hamilton to get the win and my team bought in as much as I did,” Henry said.