(PHOENIX) No. 2 Gilbert Christian came together to pull off a 73-72 overtime victory in Saturday's AIA Copper State Basketball Semifinal, defeating No. 6 San Tan Charter to earn a spot in the 2025 title game. Senior Owen Fermoyle fired on all cylinders throughout the affair, finishing with 21 points, eight rebounds, four assists, and four blocks.
 
"When Owen is going like that, we are so dangerous," Head Coach Jason Pasquariello said. "We will remember this game for a long time. All week, we have been focused on our team verse, 1 Timothy 4:10. At times, it has been more toiling than striving, but through it all the guys have stayed together. San Tan Charter is a very athletic, good team. I am so proud of what we have accomplished this season. These guys are a special group, and they have been such a blessing to coach."
 
The Knights led 20-14 after the first, thanks in large part to junior Taylor Abrahamson, who saved his best quarter of the year for the right time, scoring seven out of the gate for the Knights, via a drive, a 3-pointer and a pair of free throws. 
 
"Taylor played the greatest game of his career tonight," Pasquariello said. "He was flying around on defense, grabbing rebounds, and taking charges. His growth from last year to this year has been so great to see. He really stepped up to the plate for us in this one."


 
Seniors Jace Olson and Logan Lucero joined Abrahamson with strong first half performances, combining for 15 points as the Knights outscored STC 20-24 in the first and 15-13 in the second. The Roadrunners' Jaelon Germany put in some work of his own, scoring nine through 16 minutes to cut Gilbert Christian's advantage to 35-27 at the break.
 
Six minutes into the third, however, the momentum had shifted and the Roadrunners were sprinting. With the game tied at 42-all following a 15-7 run, senior Tyler Burr took matters into his own hands, striking from deep to give Gilbert Christian a much-needed spark. San Tan Charter managed a bucket on the next possession to bring it within a point (45-44), but Abrahamson picked up where he left off, answering with another trey to give the Knights some breathing room heading into the fourth. 
 
The final eight minutes of regulation saw Olson and Fermoyle take over on Gilbert Christian's end, and Peyton Lubash find his rhythm on STC's side of things. The Knights were trailing 62-61 with less than a minute to play, when Abrahamson was fouled going in for a rebound, and hit one-of-two from the charity stripe to tie the contest at 62-62. A Roadrunner turnover on the ensuing trip gave the ball back to GCHS with 21.7 to play, but blood on Olson's jersey put San Tan Charter's staff into an opportunistic frenzy, eventually resulting in Olson being subbed out of the contest.
 
In the clutch, Fermoyle drove to the hole, drawing a goal-tending call to put the Knights out front by two (64-62) with nine seconds to play. The Roadrunners in-bounded the ball to Lubash, who raced length of the floor to finish an up-and-under lay-up as time expired.
 
Both teams went to their respective benches. Gilbert Christian made its way to the court first, coming together to pray out of the huddle. San Tan Charter simply walked out and set up for the jump ball. 
 
The back-and-forth continued in overtime, with STC scoring first on a free throw, and Fermoyle responding with four-straight to give the Knights a 68-65 lead. Lubash and company matched the effort on the next two possessions, taking the lead back midway through the four-minute extra period. It was short-lived, as ball movement gave Olson an open look from behind the arc, which he sank to bring the score to 71-69. 
 
The Roadrunners weren't finished either, scoring on another drive-and-dish to tie it at 71-all with under a minute remaining on the game clock.
 
Fermoyle sank a pair of high-pressure free throws for the Knights on the next trip, and San Tan Charter also got to the line on its possession, making the front end, and just missing the second, as the ball circled around the hoop and out to keep GCHS out front 73-72. 
 
The final ten seconds were chaos, with the Knights missing a pair from the charity stripe which could have ensured safety in the final seconds of the game. In the end though, it wouldn't matter, with Gilbert Christian contesting Lubash's final heave from the corner, which clanked off the back of the rim as Knight Nation sighed in collective, prayerful relief.  
 
Olson finished the semifinal with 18 points, eight rebounds and three assists. Lucero led all players with six assists, while scoring 12 on 4-of-7 shooting. Abrahamson and Burr each notched six boards, adding 11 and seven points to the Knights' offensive total. 

San Tan Charter ends its season at 16-5 overall. With the win, GCHS improves to 20-1. 
 
"Now we have one more," Pasquariello said. "We earned the right to take the court one last time together, and the opportunity to play for the championship. Going in as the underdog is freeing. This team is special. All of these guys are special. Saturday should be a special game for us."
 
The Knights have advanced to the state final in back-to-back campaigns. GCHS will face top-ranked Valley Christian next Saturday, March 1st at 8:15pm in the sequel to last year's championship showdown. The title game will be played at Veteran's Memorial Coliseum. All fans will need a TICKET to attend.