The middle school boys’ basketball All-City Division 3 champion was crowned on Saturday afternoon, with the Tincher Tigers taking the win over the Stephens Jackrabbits in a 53-43 thrilling back and forth battle at Millikan High School.
The Tigers, led by coach Mark Chambers, also won the title last season. However, this win in particular has a very special place in Chambers’s heart.
“This is my last year (at Tincher),” he said. “I was supposed to leave last year, but two years ago I kept eight sixth graders that I knew I had to stay with. I’m gonna miss them, and I’m glad they went out as champions back to back. I’m just happy for them. They put in the work for three years and I hope their careers keep going.”
The sixth graders that Chambers mentioned have developed into a talented group of eighth grade players that led Tincher to the victory: among them were Ryan Craig, Mark Pearson, Kyse Chandler, Miles Escobar, and Max Anderson. However, they had a formidable opponent in the Jackrabbits.
Led by coach Jose Magallan, Jr., and key players Mazakahomni Funmaker, Kaya Watanabe, Andrew Gutierrez, Isaiah Davison, and Eldyn Taase, Stephens did not make it easy for the Tigers. The game was a back and forth battle, and when the buzzer sounded at the half, Stephens was up 19-18.
However, Chambers was prepared for this; he knew that the Jackrabbits were going to be a difficult squad to beat, even though the Tigers prevailed the first time they faced them this season.
“I told my guys it was not gonna be the same team,” he said. “It’s hard to beat somebody twice, and the best thing that happened was we were down at half time.”
Going into the second half, Chambers made some tactical changes, among them adjusting to the size of the Millikan basketball court, as his team is used to playing on a smaller middle school one.
“We usually don’t press unless we have to, or if I want to change the tempo of the game,” he said. “We started putting the pressure on much higher because I had them back because it’s a big court and I didn’t want them chasing. So that was one of the things, we changed the tempo. We didn’t let them get what they wanted when they wanted it.”
This ended up working to their advantage. Although Stephens opened up the second half with an impressive 3-pointer, Tincher’s momentum picked up as well, leading to an increase in scoring for both sides. After scoring nine points in each of the first two quarters, the Tigers scored 17 in the third. However, Stephens hung on to the lead, and the score was 35-32, a one score game, with the final eight minutes on the horizon.
Tincher opened up the fourth quarter with a statement 3-pointer, and finally were able to see some daylight when they brought the score to 45-35 with a few minutes to go. Both teams entering the bonus in the final minutes made for a flurry of free throws, but Tincher held on, and when the buzzer sounded, the scoreboard read 53-43 in the Tigers’ favor. It was a perfect way to cap off Chambers’s coaching career.
Reflecting on his experiences at Tincher, Chambers emphasized the significance of the lessons that sports can teach and his gratitude for them.
“Sports are amazing,” he said. “The spirit’s alive, competition’s alive, and you know, kids learn to compete, win or lose. You gotta play till the end, and that’s what I think all of them did.”
