The score was tied 54-54 in overtime.

Just 20 seconds remained on the clock when St. John Bosco’s Gavin Dean-Moss got the ball.

Dean-Moss sat back and let the clock run another 13 seconds before he made his move; it would be a win for the Braves or extended overtime.

The game was in the young senior’s hands, but the pressure didn’t faze him.

Dean-Moss drove to the basket and took his shot over the formidable 6-11 Cameron Williams. Just before time expired, the ball danced around the rim before falling in.

The rest of the Braves stormed the court immediately Saturday, celebrating a 56-54 victory over St. Mary’s that pushed them into Section 7’s CACHE AI bracket semifinals at Arizona Athletic Grounds.

“When we went into overtime, we knew we were going to win,” Dean-Moss said.

“It was only possible because of everyone. We had Leon (Shingo), who did really well getting rebounds off the board, Max (Ellis) scored us the points, Dom (Perfetti) helped me motivate everyone, and so many other guys contributed too.”

It was Ellis who did most of the damage for St. John Bosco early on, scoring 14 of his 28 points in the first half. Dean-Moss finished with 11 points, including the layup that sealed it in overtime, and senior guard Tariq Iscandari joined in late with seven points of his own.

For St. Mary’s, Williams and Mick Riordan returned fire.

Williams, who received an offer from Duke after showing out in last week’s NBA Top 100 Camp in South Carolina, scored 16 points. Riordan had 13.

Brody Posterino tacked on another nine, four of which came from the free throw line.

Missed shots plagued the Braves at the start and left them playing catch-up for most of the game. The Knights led 51-44 with a little under two minutes left, but multiple fouls kept St. John Bosco alive through regulation.

“We obviously didn’t show very much poise at the end of the game, so we’ve got to be better about that,” St. Mary’s head coach Damin Lopez said.

“We took some possessions off defensively, kind of kept them in the game a little bit, and we didn’t take advantage of our opportunities. I think they understand how good they can be, but in situations like this they also showed how much work still needs to be done. We’re grateful to be here, grateful to be a part of games like this, and we just gotta get better.”

As the Braves celebrated their overtime triumph, West Point and Colorado Windsor tipped off.

Halfway through the first period, West Point held a 16-11 lead. Windsor trailed by a decent margin through the rest of the game, and the Dragons won it 66-48, securing themselves a spot in Saturday's ABCA bracket semifinals.

West Point wound up winning its semifinal game 50-49 over Fairmont Prep, Calif. 

“I loved our defensive pressure,” said West Point head coach Ryan Nelson about his team's semifinal performance.

“We were at them all day. They got some easy buckets early, but we adapted to what they were doing, and eventually we were able to stop No. 5.”

No. 5 was Windsor’s Madden Smiley.

The Wizards wouldn’t have had a chance without him.

Smiley contributed 29 of Windsor’s 48 points, while providing a strong presence on defense. He averaged 20.9 points last season, and led his team in rebounds and steals.

West Point countered with post player Tyrell Curry and Samuel Kalikilwa. The duo combined for 35 points (Curry with 19 and Kalikilwa 16).

Curry was a rebound machine. He was never alone under the rim, but the result stayed the same.

The Dragons found ways to extend possessions until points were scored, which kept them in control of the pace.

“We want to win all our games,” Kalikilwa said. “That’s it, just win. That’s the mentality because this is a big opportunity for us. We’re here to prove a point and make something happen.”