The finale of the Best of the Midwest Showcase did not disappoint, as Blue Valley Northwest defeated Chaminade, 87-83 in a double overtime, instant classic game.

With 33.3 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter, senior guard Darien Jackson, who scored a game-high 30 points for BVNW, set up junior forward Parker Braun for an alley-oop layin, tying the score at 71. Jackson said the game showcased every tool he possesses.

“I was in my bag. That’s all I’ve got to say,” Jackson said. “I was using everything I had, I used all my abilities.”

Braun stroked a three-point basket with 4:33 left in the first quarter to give BVNW an early 11-4 lead. The Red Devils battled back to knot the game at 15 before a layup by junior forward Jackson Heath gave the Huskies a 17-15 lead with 1:12 remaining in the first. After the Heath basket, BVNW went an astounding 6:12 of game action without scoring a basket. Falling victim to an 18-0 run by Chaminade.

Chaminade junior forward Karrington Davis said the early success against BVNW was attributed to their ball movement.

“Well early on we were moving the ball a lot,” Davis, who scored 15 of his team-high 26 points in the first half said. “We had a lot moving and we like to play fast-paced and I think that’s what helped us in the beginning.”

A reoccurring issue for the Huskies this season has been early foul trouble for Braun. As was the case again on this night, the junior big man left the game with 5:08 left in the second quarter, after he picked up his third foul of the game.

Braun said he needed to have a better sense of when to lay back and not be too aggressive.

“Sometimes you’re just too aggressive and you go out and you don’t make the smartest plays,” Braun said. “I’ve got to come out and be smarter in the first half and be more conservative to play more but you just gotta mature.”

BVNW managed to cut the 16 point deficit to nine at the half, as they trailed 26-35. Despite the Huskies trimming the deficit before the half, Chaminade was able to extend their halftime lead to 12, taking a 57-45 lead into the fourth.

Blue Valley Northwest head coach Ed Fritz said senior guard AJ Pleasant fueled the Huskies comeback efforts.

“To our credit we kept playing,” Fritz said. “I just thought I was really proud of A.J. A.J. kind of didn’t play very well the first couple quarters. He kept going. He ended up making a couple of threes, a couple of drives, had a couple steals and that kind of brought us back.”

Pleasant said the atmosphere and the intensity, fueled by the Huskies double-digit comeback surpassed anything he had ever been a part of.

“It’s great. Easily one of the best games or most exhilarating games I’ve had in my high school career,” Pleasant said.

As the Huskies defensive intensity picked up in the fourth quarter, the Chaminade offense seemingly stalled. Fritz said the Red Devils offensive strategy fueled the BVNW run.

“Chaminade started playing to not lose instead of to win,” Fritz said. “They helped us get back into it a little bit by just staying out there and letting us do our stuff.

Pleasant, who scored 16 points himself, raved about Jackson’s 30 point performance.

“The things he can do that other guys can’t, it’s such a great asset to have. It’s so good to play around him.”

BVNW pulled away late in the second overtime as senior guard Jamicheal Morgan closed the door on Chaminade with a steal and layup with 9.2 seconds left to give BVNW an 87-83 win.

Jackson said the double overtime game took an extreme toll on him.

“I was dying man, I had cramps in my legs,” Jackson said. “But coach Fritz told me not to quit, so I just continued to keep it going.”

Fritz said he recognizes the significance of a win over a historically successful program like Chaminade.

“That’s a storied program,” Fritz said. “So that’s a good win and I hope it gives us momentum.”

You can watch the entire broadcast of the game here.