By Sam Ganczaruk, For the Tribune Select to read Original post
The dream season is over for Brophy.
The Broncos had their playoff balloon popped Thursday night as No. 7-seeded Basha strolled into Phoenix College and constructed a second-half rally to upend the No. 2-seeded Broncos, 32-29, in the quarterfinals of the Division I playoffs.
Basha (9-3) may be getting fitted for that proverbial glass slipper as the Bears will face No. 3-seed Desert Vista in the semifinals 7 p.m. next Friday at Mesquite High School. Desert Vista (10-1) advanced with a 52-7 trouncing of Pinnacle.
“We thought we were more physical than they were and should have been ahead in the first half,” Basha coach Bernie Busken said. “We just asked our kids to play harder and harder, and they did.”
Brophy ends its season 11-1 and can only imagine what might have been.
Basha sealed the victory with a 27-yard field goal from Justin Barber with 1:22 left after the Bears quarterback Kyle Duran led a 14-play, 70-yard drive that began with 6:55 to go in the fourth quarter.
“I was thinking we need to get points on the board because that is a fantastic team that we are playing and they are liable to put points on the board at any time,” Duran said.
Brophy tried to send the game to overtime but its final drive ended at the Basha 21-yard line as the clocked expired before Broncos quarterback Tyler Bruggman could spike the football. Bruggman had just completed a pass to Devon Allen for a 9-yard gain, but the play was not a first down so the clock didn’t stop to set the chains.
“It is tough one for our seniors,” Brophy coach Scooter Molander said. “The playoffs are always bittersweet.”
Brophy seemed to have control after building a 21-12 halftime lead but Basha ruled the third quarter.
The Bears’ first drive of the quarter led to a 35-yard field goal by Barber to cut the Brophy lead to 21-15.
After possessions by both teams, Basha might have made its biggest defensive play of the season as Quintin del Re intercepted a Tyler Bruggman pass and returned it to the Brophy 20. One play later, Duran found the end zone on a 20-yard quarterback keeper up the gut of the Broncos’ defense and Basha jumped ahead 22-21.
“We felt if we played the game we wanted to, we could beat them and anybody in the state,” Duran said.
Basha wasn’t done as Duran found Devin Reed for a 54-yard TD strike as the third quarter came to a close with the Bears leading 29-21.
Brophy didn’t waste time tying the game.
The Broncos’ Robert Relf capped a 16-play, 80-yard drive with a 4-yard TD run to open the fourth. The Broncos tied the game at 29 with 6:55 left when Bruggman found Matthew Auran on a pass for a successful two-point conversion.
Bruggman threw for 346 yards and three touchdowns. Devon Allen had 200 receiving yards while Fred Gammage caught 77 yards’ worth.
But Brophy wouldn’t escape as Basha found its way to the semifinals.
“I think they won the turnover margin and that was the difference,” Molander said. “They have a very talented offense to stop. (But) we normally score more points than this.”
