Wells Fargo Arena was electric as time expired and No. 1 Gilbert defeated No. 6 Millennium for the second time this season.

This time, Gilbert walked off the basketball court as the 5A state champions.

Gilbert edged Millennium 38-37 in a game both teams will never forget Monday night.  

Both sides started the first quarter off a bit shaky. Gilbert and Millennium combined to go 0-for-5 from the 3-point range and 4-for-14 in the paint.

Though Millennium was leading the scoreboard at the conclusion of the first three quarters, that did not stop Gilbert from finishing the game strong.

Gilbert senior forward Jake Ehmann was the only player on the court that had a double-double. He led the way for the Gilbert Tigers with 13 rebounds and a total of 13 points to finish as the team's leading scorer in the postseason.

“He’s been our most important player all season long,” head coach Jay Caserio said.

Gilbert came out of the locker room after halftime down 21-16. So, what changed for Gilbert to come out on top as the champions?

“I let those guys sit in there for about 15 straight minutes at halftime and I didn’t go in until the very very last second,” Caserio said. “I wanted to let those senior leaders talk about what needed to be done.”

Senior captain and starting point guard Noah “Doc” Self was struggling to get the ball in the net in the first three quarters of the game, going 0-for-4 from outside the paint. When it was crunch time in the fourth quarter, though, Self sunk two baskets from downtown in back-to-back possessions, giving Gilbert the momentum it needed.  

“Those two threes were big,” Self said. “Then after that we looked at each other and said, 'We’re going to win our last game, we owe it to each other.'”  

After trailing by seven at the beginning of the fourth quarter, Gilbert outscored Millenium 15-7 for the narrow victory.

Senior forward Carson Towte experienced calf and hamstring cramps early in the first half, but it didn’t stop him from catching 11 defensive rebounds. It was like he knew exactly where the ball was going to be every single time Millennium tried to score.

“Last year coach told me my motor was down,” the 6-foot-7 Towte said. “He taught me which way the ball is going to go, and that’s just the general direction in which I go now.”

The Gilbert Tigers concluded their undefeated season with a perfect overall record of 22-0.

“It’s going to be so great to hang that banner in our gymnasium,” Caserio said. “It’s so awesome right now, I'm so ecstatic.”