Ava Toth is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Basha High School for AZPreps365.com

CHANDLER — Basha showed improvement from its previous matchup with Hamilton but could not turn that progress into a win Tuesday, falling to the Huskies 25-22, 25-13, 25-17. 

The Bears came out strong in the opening set and stayed within reach of Hamilton throughout. Basha coach Marissa Morah said the Bears were more competitive against Hamilton than in their previous meeting. 

“I think that first set reflected how much we’ve grown,” Morah said. “We played them so much closer than we did the last time we saw them at the House of Payne tournament.”

Basha carried that momentum into the second set, taking an 11-8 lead before Hamilton responded with a 10-0 run. The Huskies regained control and took the set. 

Hamilton coach Sharon Vanis said she expected Basha to have strong stretches at home.

“A lot of times, when you play on somebody else’s court, you’ll see that,” Vanis said. “They’ll get that momentum.”

Vanis said Hamilton responded to Basha’s early advantage by staying composed. 

“They just kept playing,” Vanis said. 

Hamilton then closed out the third set to complete the sweep. 

Basha freshman Layla Duncan said the Bears stayed engaged throughout the match. She also said her communication with her teammates and attitude were better than usual. 

“I think we all kept our effort and energy and tried to keep it up,” Duncan said. 

Morah said Basha had several strong moments in the opening set that gave the team something to build on. 

“The first set, just some of the decisions made were great,” Morah said. “I’m hoping that they can capitalize on the first set and forget everything else.”

Morah said Basha became overwhelmed during some of Hamilton’s runs and did not always execute the plays needed to finish points. She said maintaining a positive mindset will be important as the team continues through the season. 

“Energy really matters,” Morah said. “You can't spend more of the game being upset about things than trying to fight and get out of it.” 

Vanis said the victory was significant for Hamilton after starting this season against a difficult schedule. 

“Every win is huge for us,” Vanis said.

The match was also part of Basha’s mental health awareness night, with a green-out theme bringing the cause into the match atmosphere. Both teams wore the same warm-up shirts with the green mental health ribbon and a message on the back citing the importance of mental health. 

Vanis said Hamilton knew there would be emotion surrounding the match and recognized the difference in Basha from the previous meeting. 

“Basha is a much improved team,” Vanis said. 

For Basha, the first set provided its closest margin of the match and showed the progress Morah said the team has made since the previous meeting. The Bears will build on that performance in their next match against Casteel on Oct. 7.