Corona del Sol has lost more games this year than it has the previous four -- all championship seasons. But despite its current record of 9-8 the Aztecs aren't being ignored in a bid for a fifth successive crown. They still have folks attention.

"Until the state tournament comes and someone is able to beat them there, they are No. 1 no matter what the rankings say," Basha coach Mike Grothaus said Wednesday night after his Bears rally from way back fell short, 62-59, at Corona del Sol.

Four of Corona's losses are to high-powered, out-of-state teams who have combined for a 50-3 record. Two of its three Arizona power-ranking losses are to the current No. 1s in D-I (Mesa High) and D-II (Shadow Mountain). The Aztecs record is what it is, but opponents are stoked night-in and night-out to take down the defending champs.

Saben Lee and Alex Barcello combined fo make 11 free throws in the fourth quarter enabling Corona to blunt Basha's rally from 18 points down in the third period. Basha led a couple times in the final period, the last time 57-56 with 3:06 to play. Barcello made two free thrwows with 2:53 left to put Corona (9-8, overall, 8-5 power-ranking games) ahead for good, 58-57. Barcello and Lee each made two free throws in the final 40 seconds to seal the victory.  Basha turned the ball over on three possessions in the final three minutes that didn't help -- two traveling calls and a three-second violation.

"We are a very competitive team and we will never give up," Grothaus said. "I've come to expect that. In the end it came down to execution and we didn't execute. The things we did weren't what we wanted."

Corona coach Neil MacDonald breathed a sigh of relief that his technical foul in the fourth period didn't end up costing the Aztecs. MacDonald's squad bolstered his confidence with their effort given trying circumstances.

"We were playing short and with a short lineup, but these guys gutted it out," MacDonald said. "I'm as proud of them as I've been all season." Basha converted all four technical foul free throws it attempted aiding its comeback.

Basha (16-4, 9-2) dominated the boards in part because the Aztecs were without starting strong forward Nate Marshall (broken nose) and also didn't have Tyrell Henderson for the final 10 minutes. Henderson picked up his fourth foul and a few seconds later his fifth via a techincal late in the third period while Basha was in the process of paring Corona's 42-24 lead. That's when Corona's lineup became very  small since Henderson's athleticism  allows him to play  bigger than his 6-2 frame.

Barcello finished with a game-high 21 points, Henderson had 14 points and Lee hit for 12. Lee had a nice game on the defensive end with at least five steals , doing a good job double-teaming behind Basha's post game anchored by strong forward Gabe McGlothan. McGlothan led Basha with 18 points and Antwan Ross-Jones gave the Bears a lift with perimeter shooting off the bench. Ross-Jones tallied 15 points and connected on three  threes. Devin Kirby added 11 points, most of them on the offensive glass. He also sank a three.