It was only fitting Ceres High's and Central Valley's varsity boys basketball teams needed to play an additional four minutes to determine the final outcome of Wednesday's Western Athletic Conference crosstown matchup.
The Bulldogs erased a 12-point halftime deficit and hung on to beat the Hawks 61-60 in overtime at Phil de la Porte Gymnasium.
"I was expecting it to be like that," Ceres High junior point guard Abel Reyes said. "It happened last year, too. We went to overtime."
Jimbo Pernetti had a game-high 20 points for the Bulldogs, who rallied from 11 down en route to a 60-55 win over Central Valley a season ago at Ceres High.
Harman Chung added 13 points.
Abel Reyes, Caden Johnson and Angel Garcia scored 11, seven and five points, respectively.
Jimmy Bates contributed one point.
Jaron Dickson and Tranjit Singh both scored a team-high 11 points for Central Valley.
Ryan Donnelly and Diego Sanchez collected 10 and seven points, respectively.
Ja'Quan Gardner and Abraham Navarro totaled six points each.
Parker Griffin, Jordan Sek and Kendel Johnson chipped in with four, three and two points.
Chung accounted for the first four points in overtime. He made two free throws and scored inside.
Central Valley cut the deficit to 60-59 when Dickson hit a tough shot from close-range and converted one of two freebies.
Bates buried the second of his two foul shots to increase Ceres High's lead to 61-59 with 1:27 to play.
The Hawks got within one point a minute later as Dickson split a pair of free throws.
Ceres High's Junior Garcia missed two shots from the charity stripe and Central Valley called timeout with 10 seconds left in regulation.
With bragging rights on the line, Central Valley put the ball in Gardner's hands near the top of the key.
Ja'Quan, a star running back in football, drove to the basket. He nearly played the role of hero.
"He (Gardner) got past me," Reyes said. "I was hoping he was going to miss and he did. The ball rolled out."
A sea of red-clad Bulldog fans stormed the court after the final seconds ticked off the clock.
"It's a great feeling to know you have your school behind you," Abel said.
There were three ties in the final 2:30 of regulation.
Gardner's layup gave Central Valley a 54-52 lead at the 1:50 mark.
Reyes hit a game-tying runner in the lane with 1:07 to play.
Dickson crashed into Pernetti while making a contested floater in the key with 38 seconds remaining. Jaron's basket put the Hawks ahead by two, 56-54.
Reyes' step-back shot from just outside the key pulled the Bulldogs even at 56-all 16 seconds later.
Gardner missed a long-range shot from straightaway in the waning seconds.
Pernetti's last-gasp heave from halfcourt hit the back of the rim as time expired.
"It's something coach (Brian de la Porte) has been telling me to do," said Reyes, whose aggressive play down the stretch helped force overtime. "I have to start doing it more."
Singh, Dickson and Navarro tallied eight, seven and six points, respectively, as Central Valley built a 33-21 lead in the opening half.
The Bulldogs outscored the Hawks 35-23 in the second half. Pernetti poured in 18 points.
"I knew we'd come back," Reyes said. "We just had to stay confident and keep our heads in the game."
Ceres High improved its all-time record against Central Valley to 11-3. The Bulldogs have won the last seven meetings.
"It's always our biggest game of the season," Reyes said. "We don't want to lose to them."
The Bulldogs erased a 12-point halftime deficit and hung on to beat the Hawks 61-60 in overtime at Phil de la Porte Gymnasium.
"I was expecting it to be like that," Ceres High junior point guard Abel Reyes said. "It happened last year, too. We went to overtime."
Jimbo Pernetti had a game-high 20 points for the Bulldogs, who rallied from 11 down en route to a 60-55 win over Central Valley a season ago at Ceres High.
Harman Chung added 13 points.
Abel Reyes, Caden Johnson and Angel Garcia scored 11, seven and five points, respectively.
Jimmy Bates contributed one point.
Jaron Dickson and Tranjit Singh both scored a team-high 11 points for Central Valley.
Ryan Donnelly and Diego Sanchez collected 10 and seven points, respectively.
Ja'Quan Gardner and Abraham Navarro totaled six points each.
Parker Griffin, Jordan Sek and Kendel Johnson chipped in with four, three and two points.
Chung accounted for the first four points in overtime. He made two free throws and scored inside.
Central Valley cut the deficit to 60-59 when Dickson hit a tough shot from close-range and converted one of two freebies.
Bates buried the second of his two foul shots to increase Ceres High's lead to 61-59 with 1:27 to play.
The Hawks got within one point a minute later as Dickson split a pair of free throws.
Ceres High's Junior Garcia missed two shots from the charity stripe and Central Valley called timeout with 10 seconds left in regulation.
With bragging rights on the line, Central Valley put the ball in Gardner's hands near the top of the key.
Ja'Quan, a star running back in football, drove to the basket. He nearly played the role of hero.
"He (Gardner) got past me," Reyes said. "I was hoping he was going to miss and he did. The ball rolled out."
A sea of red-clad Bulldog fans stormed the court after the final seconds ticked off the clock.
"It's a great feeling to know you have your school behind you," Abel said.
There were three ties in the final 2:30 of regulation.
Gardner's layup gave Central Valley a 54-52 lead at the 1:50 mark.
Reyes hit a game-tying runner in the lane with 1:07 to play.
Dickson crashed into Pernetti while making a contested floater in the key with 38 seconds remaining. Jaron's basket put the Hawks ahead by two, 56-54.
Reyes' step-back shot from just outside the key pulled the Bulldogs even at 56-all 16 seconds later.
Gardner missed a long-range shot from straightaway in the waning seconds.
Pernetti's last-gasp heave from halfcourt hit the back of the rim as time expired.
"It's something coach (Brian de la Porte) has been telling me to do," said Reyes, whose aggressive play down the stretch helped force overtime. "I have to start doing it more."
Singh, Dickson and Navarro tallied eight, seven and six points, respectively, as Central Valley built a 33-21 lead in the opening half.
The Bulldogs outscored the Hawks 35-23 in the second half. Pernetti poured in 18 points.
"I knew we'd come back," Reyes said. "We just had to stay confident and keep our heads in the game."
Ceres High improved its all-time record against Central Valley to 11-3. The Bulldogs have won the last seven meetings.
"It's always our biggest game of the season," Reyes said. "We don't want to lose to them."
