Max Samberg hit three free throws with 0.9 seconds left in OT and then scored five of his 18 points in the second OT as Rye pulled out a thrilling 60-57 win over Byram Hills in a showdown of Class A contenders on Friday night.

The Garnets (16-1) were down by five and Byram had the basketball with under two minutes left in the first OT. And somehow Rye found itself storming the court in the end in what a raucous, jam-packed Rye gym. (Sorry, “The Cube”).

Jack Neave scored 15 points and Quinn Kelly added 12 for Rye, which improved to 15-1 on the season and strengthened its grip on the No. 1 seed in Class A.

The scene after the game around Rye coach John Aguilar, whose team had lost 10 of 11 games against Byram Hills in his tenure, was emotional.

Rye had a chance to win it in regulation, drawing up a play that got Samberg open at halfcourt and throwing up a 3-pointer as time expired. Back iron:

Max Samberg had a decent look at buzzer. Almost. OT we go pic.twitter.com/HsfdXZNpft

— Kevin Devaney Jr. (@KDJmedia1) February 3, 2018

In OT, Byram Hills lost star Skylar Sinon with his fifth foul but still managed to build a five-point lead thanks to the interior dominance of Ben Leff and the sharp-shooting of sophomore Michael Parrotta. After hitting game-clinching free throws to beat Rye in the first meeting, Parrotta hit six 3-pointers and scored 19 in the game.

Here’s a wild sequence in OT, capped by a Parrotta 3:

Watch this crazy sequence. Listen to this crowd. pic.twitter.com/HNQfc7Tj31

— Kevin Devaney Jr. (@KDJmedia1) February 3, 2018

Then came arguably the most dramatic moment of the season in Section 1 basketball. Trailing by 3 in the final seconds of OT, Samberg again raced down the floor and was about to have a good look at the basket to tie. But he was fouled on the way up, resulting in three free throws with 0.9 seconds on the clock.

Samberg hit the first. Timeout Byram. He came back out and drilled the second. Timeout Byram. Samberg then walked about and did this:

Max Samberg fouled shooting a 3 with 0.9 seconds in OT for Rye. He makes the first. The second. And here the third. pic.twitter.com/YODTHOGXpH

— Kevin Devaney Jr. (@KDJmedia1) February 3, 2018

In the second OT, the momentum belonged to Rye. Samberg opened the frame with a straight-away 3. Later he ran the shot clock down and made a driving layup to put the Garnets up five. Byram rallied back and had the ball down 3 in the final minutes. But a turnover on its final possession end the game.

Rye remains atop the Section 1 Class A Bracketology standings. Byram dropped to 3 with Saunders sandwiched in between. Find the full standings here:

KDJ Media – Section 1 Boys Basketball Bracketology

For more coverage of the game, the Rye Basketball twitter account (@RyeBBall) has a ton of great footage, including this pregame visual of how large and loud the crowd was at Rye. Not sure I’ve ever seen a turnout like this in Rye

Watch as the whole gym sings the Star Spangled Banner 🇺🇸 along with @CoachAguilar Daughter @hoopcoachdrye @LowerHudsonHoop @hoopsmbd @RyeAthletics @lohudsports @KDJmedia1 @lohudinsider pic.twitter.com/4YJPSdKkcp

— Rye Basketball (@ryebball) February 3, 2018