With a new life in the extra quarter, the Nitros kept up the attack. They scored the first five points in overtime and shut out their opponents, holding a 52-47 with 50 seconds remaining in the game.
The Tornadoes finally ended the scoring drought as Shara Davoodi hit his first shot of the game, a three-pointer and the team's first basket in nearly five minutes to cut the deficit to two points.
A Glendale turnover under its own basket set up Hoover's last chance with 14 ticks on the clock. Artash Davtyan forced up a long three-pointer that found nothing but air.
"It was as exciting as it could be," said Nitros Coach Steve Snodgress. "A typical Glendale-Hoover game — anything can happen and usually does."
Anything, on this night, was overcoming a sluggish start and a 10-point defecit midway through the second quarter.
It was capped off by a 10-2 run to open the fourth quarter, as Haig Darakijan's three-pointer gave the Nitros (8-10, 2-4 in league) their first lead of the game at 36-25, with 5:33 remaining.
It wouldn't be the last time, Darakijan would have an impact on the game.
The senior center had a memorable night, finishing with a career-high 20 points and a three-pointer with 13 seconds left in regulation that cut the Hoover lead to one and kept his team alive.
After Davtyan made the front end of a one-in-one, his second attempt was rebounded by Hovanesian and raced down the court for the game's biggest shot.
"I was just thinking, 'No one can stop me, I've got to score,'" Hovanesian said.
For the Tornadoes (14-4,3-3), they will have to look back on missed opportunities to put the game away. The team missed three free-throws in the final 30 seconds of regulation that could have iced the game.
